The Carnac stones are an exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites around the French village of Carnac, in Brittany, consisting of more than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany. These megalithic wonders are the largest such collection on the planet, however their purpose has never been discovered.
A Patterned Landscape
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. The largest stones, around 4m high, are at the western end and they become smaller along the length of the alignment reaching around 0.6m in height.
It is thought that the stones were erected during the Neolithic period which lasted from 4500 BC until 2000 BC. In reality, archaeologists have had great difficulty in establishing accurate dates as little material was found beneath them that could be used for radiocarbon dating.
The Purpose of the Carnac Stones
Local myth states that a Roman legion was on the march when the wizard Merlin turned them into stone. Archaeologically speaking, the original purpose of the Carnac stones remains a mystery, and there are many theories but no definitive answers.
Some archaeologists believe that the stones…
