Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Eastern Outlier
Early Neolithic (4500-3800 BCE)·Atlantic Neolithic·🇫🇷 Brittany, Finistere, France
About
About Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Eastern Outlier
Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Eastern Outlier in Brittany, Finistere, France is a Early Neolithic (4500-3800 BCE) megalithic attributed to Atlantic Neolithic. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal citadel 3 × 2 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 48.6593N -3.8540E controls access to Brittany, Finistere resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey megalithic for Brittany, Finistere, illustrating Atlantic Neolithic construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Construction labor organization
- 02Chronology and phasing
Theories
- 01Ancestral burial reuse over centuries
- 02Astronomical alignment hypothesis
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 4200 BCE
- Period
- Early Neolithic (4500-3800 BCE)
- Culture
- Atlantic Neolithic
- Purpose
- Collective burial and territorial marker for agro-pastoral community
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 4200 BCE
Initial construction of Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Eastern Outlier main structure
c. 1023 CE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Eastern Outlier
19th–20th century
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Eastern Outlier) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
48.6593° N · 3.8540° W · 6 m · 3 mapped features
Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Eastern Outlier — Main Megalithic Feature
rock artPrimary rock art at Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Eastern Outlier — rock-cut facade with stratified deposits
48.6603° N · 3.8526° WCairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Eastern Outlier — Secondary Enclosure
hydraulicAncillary hydraulic at Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Eastern Outlier — burial gallery with stratified deposits
48.6591° N · 3.8539° WCairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Eastern Outlier — Outlier Rock Art Panel
necropolisOutlier necropolis panel linked to Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Eastern Outlier ceremonial landscape
48.6591° N · 3.8537° W