Stone Rows at Carnac
Near Carnac, a village on the French Atlantic coast, there is a striking collection of upright stones arranged in parallel rows. Several groups of these stone rows can be distinguished. Each group consists of several parallel rows of stones, each stretching for several hundred meters. The stones are between 0.5 and 4.0 m high, with the largest stones always at the western end facing the Atlantic. In addition, individual large stones stand out within or besides the stone rows. In some stone groups, the rows run in a straight line, while in other groups the rows change direction. Some of the stone groups have a semicircle of large stones at one or both ends. Originally, the complex probably comprised more than 3,000 stones and was 8 km long in total, of which around 3 km are still preserved today. In addition to the stone rows, there are also several megalithic tombs in Carnac.
It is for sure that the stones rows were erected by people. The granite stones came from the area around Carnac and were probably transported and erected using muscle power. Archaeologists date the erection of the stone rows to the Neolithic period (around 4,000 BC). During this period, people became sedentary and switched from hunting and gathering to animal husbandry and agriculture. Many stone remains from this period can be found in northern France and other parts of Europe. Individual upright stones, called menhirs, and large stone tombs made of stone blocks, called dolmens, are widespread across northern Europe. Stone rows are also known from Dartmoor in southern England, where there are numerous single and double rows of stones. One fine example is the prehistoric site of Merrivale. However, there is no known Stone Age site with a similar formation to Carnac.
The megalithic sites at Carnac were presumably in use for several centuries, as alterations to the stone rows and artefacts found nearby suggest. However, it is still unclear for what purpose the stone rows were originally erected.
Further reading:
- Hugh Tucker: The Mystery of France's Stonehenge, BBC 2022.
- Serge Cassen: Exercice de stèle - une archéologie des pierres dressées, réflexion autour des menhirs de Carnac, Errance Paris 2009.
- Werner Hülle: Die Steine von Carnac, Barth Leipzig 1942.
There are many speculations about Carnac's stones rows. Which interpretation is the most convincing?
The construction of the stone rows at Carnac must have been an enormous effort for the people of the time. Such a feat requires a large tribal group that was able and willing to coordinate its activities. And there must have been an outstanding reason to create such a special structure.
The prehistoric site of Merrivale on Dartmoor in southern England is less well-known than Stonehenge or Carnac, but it has no less to offer: Visitors can marvel at stone circles and stone rows, several menhirs, a burial chamber, a large number of foundations of ancient huts and a kilometer-long embankment.
