Carnac Stones
Alignements de Carnac
Middle to Late Neolithic·Armorican Neolithic·🇫🇷 Brittany, Morbihan, France
About
About Carnac Stones
Over 3,000 standing stones in three major alignments (Ménec, Kermario, Kerlescan) extending 4 km, plus dolmens and tumuli. Earliest European megalithic region (Antiquity 2025). Inscribed as Megaliths of Carnac and shores of Morbihan World Heritage 2025.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Organization to quarry/transport thousands of stones
- 02Astronomical vs processional purpose
Theories
- 01Processional avenues
- 02Astronomical calendar
- 03Ancestral boundaries
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. 4600–2000 BCE
- Period
- Middle to Late Neolithic
- Culture
- Armorican Neolithic
- Purpose
- Ceremonial alignments, funerary and territorial markers
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 4600–2000 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1076 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
47.5961° N · 3.0648° W · 15 m · 4 mapped features
Alignement du Ménec
stone row11 rows, 1,099 stones, westernmost alignment
47.5906° N · 3.0878° WAlignement de Kermario
stone row10 rows, 1,029 stones with Dolmen de Kermario
47.5931° N · 3.0686° WAlignement de Kerlescan
stone row13 rows, 540 stones with fan-shaped east end
47.6064° N · 3.0519° WTumulus Saint-Michel
tumulus125 m long tumulus with passage grave
47.5880° N · 3.0730° W
Gallery