France's Stonehenge The Carnac Stones and Other Megalithic Sites

The Carnac stones ( Breton: Steudadoù Karnag) are an exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites near the south coast of Brittany in northwestern France, consisting of stone alignments (rows), dolmens (stone tombs), tumuli (burial mounds) and single menhirs (standing stones). The Carnac Alignments are made up of several distinct sections of standing stones, now divided by land, trees or roads - although there are theories they were once unbroken. The most famous.

Magical standing stones of Carnac, Brittany The Good Life France

The stones of Carnac are free to visit from October to March. From April to September, it is only possible to visit them as part of a paid tour with a guide. The sites at Ménec and Kermario have car parks. Tip: Start your visit to the Maison des Megaliths, an information point at Ménec, to better understand everything you're about to discover! Carnac is famous as the site of more than 10,000 Neolithic standing stones, also known as menhirs. The stones were hewn from local rock and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany. Local tradition claims that the reason they stand in such perfectly straight lines is that they are a Roman legion turned to stone by Pope Cornelius. [3] Clusters of standing stones can be found all over this corner of France, but the most dramatic are the megalithic alignments at Carnac, on the Gulf of Morbihan. Perched on the cliffs of Brittany, facing the open Atlantic, lies Carnac. The Carnac standing stones are accessible for visits from October to March. Some areas may be closed to visitors if the protection or maintenance of the sites so requires. In order to preserve this heritage, from April to September, visits can be made only on a guided tour. Tours are organised by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux.

France's Stonehenge The Carnac Stones and Other Megalithic Sites

What Are The Carnac Standing Stones? The Carnac Stones in France are a megalithic complex consisting of 3,000 standing stones spread over 100 acres that stretches 2.5 miles wide. According to archaeologists, the stones are from the Neolithic Period and have been in place since 3500 BCE. The different series of stone alignments to the north of Carnac are made up of over 3,000 individual standing stones - they are the largest concentration of megaliths in the World. Thought to have been erected between 7,000 and 4,000 years ago, the lines of standing stones cover a distance of about four kilometres in total. Carnac Stones boast a phenomenal 3,000 or more prehistoric standing stones; these were hewn from granite in prehistoric times. They date from the Neolithic period at around 3,300 BC - some of which may even stretch back to around 4,500 BC. Features found at Carnac Stones site. Stone Alignments: Rows Dolmens: Stone Tombs - Some Predate the Menhirs The stone alignments in Carnac were erected in Neolithic times. They are the most famous and most impressive examples of standing stones from this period, with some 3000 standing stones. Like memory fields, materializing the threshold between physical and mental, the sites at Carnac are the most extensive group of conserved megaliths in Europe.

Neolithic standing stones at Alignements de Carnac (Carnac Stones

The Carnac Stones in France are the largest collection of standing stones in the world, but there is also no real explanation for their purpose. The Carnac Stones in France are unlike any other megalithic structures that you've seen or read about in Europe. The Carnac Stones consist of both single standing stones (menhirs) and multi-stone clusters (dolmens) arranged in rows and patterns across the landscape. The main group of stone alignments involves 12 converging rows of standing stones stretching more than a kilometer with the remains of a stone circle at either end. Carnac, located on the north-west coast of France, is the site of the largest concentration of megalithic monuments in the world. Over 100 monuments, which include burial mounds, stone tombs, enclosures, and linear arrangements of menhirs, were erected between the 5th and 3rd millennia BCE by the Neolithic farming communities which inhabited the area of Carnac. The site consists of more than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones, which were cut from local rock and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany. This is the largest such collection of stones in the world. The stones were erected c3300 BC- 4500 BC. Carnac Stones Watch on

Carnac Stone Rows, Brittany, France Neolithic Studies

The alignments of Carnac are one of the most famous prehistoric monuments in the world. Situated in Brittany, France, they consist of more than 3,000 Neolithic standing stones, erected by the early inhabitants of the region. While the purpose of these stones is not known for certain, it is thought that they may have served as burial markers or. Carnac. The small town of Carnac in southern Brittany is world-famous for the long rows of standing stones stretching over a mile or so in a north-easterly direction to the north of the town. Much plundered in centuries past for stone and generally getting in the way of earlier generations, these fabulous relics gained greater respect over the.