Carnac stones are a concentration of prehistoric monuments near Carnac in Brittany , on the northern coast of France . The monuments include tombs , standing stones, stone circles, and aligned stones. The monuments were built during the Neolithic, a period that began with the appearance of farming. The Carnac stones date between 5000 and 3000 B.C. They are the largest concentration of megalithic stones in Europe. However, contrary to popular legend, the Carnac stones cannot be seen from space.
Scholars have many ideas about how the alignments and circles might have been used, though none of these are certain. Some scholars believe the stones may have marked routes for religious processions. Others have suggested that the stones are aligned with important places in the sky as they are at Stonehenge and other Neolithic sites. This suggestion is difficult to prove, because many of the stones are no longer in their original positions. Legends associated with the alignments claim they are Roman soldiers turned to stone by the legendary magician Merlin . Other tales claim they are pagan soldiers who were turned to stone by the pope.
The most famous monuments at Carnac are the alignments of standing stones, called menhirs, arranged in long lines. Such alignments of stones are common in France, but in the Carnac area they are particularly large. Three of the alignments, called Ménec, Kermario, and Kerlescan, are well preserved, but others are more fragmentary. Those at Ménec, Kermario, and Kerlescan extend over 1.8 miles (3 kilometers) and include more than 3,000 stones arranged in parallel rows running in an east-west direction.
Most of the largest stones, around 16 feet (4 meters) high, are found at the wider, western end of the alignment. The stones are smaller in the middle of the alignment, reaching around 1.5 feet (50 centimeters) high, and are higher again toward the east end. Scholars are uncertain as to how many rows originally existed because some of the stones are missing and the rows merge toward one end. In the most well-preserved areas, there are up to 12 rows of stones. In some places, the rows change direction slightly, suggesting that they were erected in different phases. Local legends that claim the stones cannot be counted reflect the difficulty scholars have in determining the number of rows.
Scholars believe all three of the alignments at Carnac probably had circles of standing stones at both ends. The two at Ménec are partially preserved, and a stone circle at the western end of Kerlescan is also well preserved. Archaeological excavations have revealed holes for wooden posts around the stones, suggesting that there were other components of these monuments.
Prehistoric tombs constructed of large stones are also scattered throughout the area. Some of these tombs contained human remains and stone bead necklaces and ceremonial jadeite axes, showing that they were burials of important people. The largest tomb at St. Michel overlooks the Ménec alignment. Scholars therefore believe the tomb and stone alignment were somehow related to each other.
There are also many standing stones known not to have been part of the alignments. Many of these were decorated in patterns or with images such as animals, axes, and plows. One of them, the Grand Menhir Brisé, is the largest megalithic stone in Europe. Today, it lies on the ground in four pieces. When it stood upright, it would have been 62 feet (20.5 meters) high and weighed about 350 tons (318 metric tons). Scholars think it would have taken more than 2,000 people to move it and even more to raise it. Many of the Carnac stones were reused to construct tombs. Over time, the stones were deliberately pulled down, perhaps because religious or ritual traditions changed.
