Alignements de Kermario at Carnac
Kermario Alignments · Carnac Kermario · Le Moulin Kermario
Middle to Late Neolithic (c.4800–3500 BCE)·Armorican Neolithic (Carnac tradition)·🇫🇷 Brittany, Morbihan (Carnac), France
About
About Alignements de Kermario at Carnac
Central and largest Carnac alignment: ~982 granite menhirs in 10 rows stretching 1,120 m across Kermario hill between Ménec (west) and Kerlescan (east). Rows include fan-like splay, interrupted by 19th-century road and Dolmen de Kermario passage grave within rows. Stones grade from small (0.5 m) east to tallest (~4 m) west near the cromlech enclosure now fragmented. Locus of Le Manio quadrilatère and Giant. Built c.4800–3500 BCE. Most photographed Carnac alignment; core of UNESCO World Heritage Tentative serial nomination of Carnac Megaliths (2024–25). Managed with fenced visitation.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Why Kermario rows enclose a passage dolmen — opportunistic vs deliberate siting
- 02Original count before 19th-century stone removal for farm walls
Theories
- 01Rows as territorial assembly lines for dispersed Carnac farming groups
- 02Westward height grading embodies ancestor hierarchy or astronomical sightline
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 4800–3500 BCE
- Period
- Middle to Late Neolithic (c.4800–3500 BCE)
- Culture
- Armorican Neolithic (Carnac tradition)
- Purpose
- Processional stone avenue linking Carnac ritual landscape from plain to hillcrest
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 4800–3500 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1091 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
47.5981° N · 3.0631° W · 20 m · 3 mapped features
10 Rows (982 menhirs)
alignment1,120 m stretch of 10 parallel granite rows on Kermario hill
47.5981° N · 3.0631° WDolmen de Kermario
dolmenPassage dolmen inside alignments with chamber capstone
47.5985° N · 3.0635° WQuadrilatère du Manio
enclosureRectangular tumulus enclosure near northern edge of alignments
47.5990° N · 3.0620° W
Gallery