Carnac
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Carnac is a village and commune in the Gulf of Morbihan, on the south coast of Brittany. It belongs to the Morbihan département, in northwestern France. Population (1999): 4,444.
Standing stones
Carnac is famous as the site of more than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones. The stones were hewn from local rock, and were erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany.
There are several discrete groups of stone alignments at Carnac. The Menec alignments are 12 converging rows of menhirs stretching more than a kilometre with the remains of a stone circle at either end. The largest stones, around 4m high, are at the wider, western end; they become smaller along the length of the alignment reaching around 0.6m high, at the extreme east they grow to around in height.
A little further along to the east, this fanning layout is virtually repeated in what is called the Kermario alignment. Further smaller alignments are dotted around the area including the Kerlescan and the Petit Menec.
The Megaliths were erected during the Neolithic period which lasted from 4500 BC until 2000 BC. The precise date of the stones is difficult to ascertain as little dateable material has been found beneath them but c. 3,300 BC is commonly attributed to the site's main phase of activity. One interpretation of the site is that successive generations visited the site to erect a stone in honour of their ancestors.
External link
- Carnac official website (http://www.carnac.fr/)
- Visiting Carnac (with map) (http://france-for-visitors.com/brittany/south/carnac.html) - In Englishde:Carnac