Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Western Terrace
Early Neolithic (4500-3800 BCE)·Atlantic Neolithic·🇫🇷 Brittany, Finistere, France
About
About Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Western Terrace
Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Western Terrace 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 necropolis 6 × 4 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 48.6564N -3.8534E 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
- 01Nature of burial rites and population
- 02Landscape function
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
- Excavation ongoing
c. 4200 BCE
Initial construction of Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Western Terrace main structure
c. 931 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Western Terrace
1986–2022
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Western Terrace) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
48.6564° N · 3.8534° W · 32 m · 4 mapped features
Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Western Terrace — Main Megalithic Feature
hydraulicPrimary hydraulic at Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Western Terrace — platform mound with stratified deposits
48.6557° N · 3.8541° WCairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Western Terrace — Secondary Enclosure
necropolisAncillary necropolis at Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Western Terrace — rock-cut facade with stratified deposits
48.6571° N · 3.8529° WCairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Western Terrace — Outlier Rock Art Panel
templeOutlier temple panel linked to Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Western Terrace ceremonial landscape
48.6568° N · 3.8540° WCairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Western Terrace — Hydraulic/Cistern Annex
chamberHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir at Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Western Terrace with plastered basin
48.6565° N · 3.8523° W