Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Northern Annex
Early Neolithic (4500-3800 BCE)·Atlantic Neolithic·🇫🇷 Brittany, Finistere, France
About
About Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Northern Annex
Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Northern Annex in Brittany, Finistere, France is a Early Neolithic (4500-3800 BCE) megalithic attributed to Atlantic Neolithic. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal enclosure 4 × 4 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 48.6555N -3.8701E controls access to Brittany, Finistere resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey megalithic for Brittany, Finistere, illustrating Atlantic Neolithic construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Scale of population vs agricultural catchment
- 02Ritual vs domestic use
Theories
- 01Tribal capital and ritual aggregation
- 02Seasonal gathering locus
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. 4200 BCE
- Period
- Early Neolithic (4500-3800 BCE)
- Culture
- Atlantic Neolithic
- Purpose
- Collective burial and territorial marker for agro-pastoral community
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 4200 BCE
Initial construction of Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Northern Annex main structure
c. 1008 CE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Northern Annex
19th–20th century
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Northern Annex) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
48.6555° N · 3.8701° W · 39 m · 4 mapped features
- Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Northern Annex — Main Megalithic FeaturestructurePrimary structure at Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Northern Annex — enclosure wall with stratified deposits48.6539° N · 3.8710° W
- Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Northern Annex — Secondary EnclosureenclosureAncillary enclosure at Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Northern Annex — burial gallery with stratified deposits48.6544° N · 3.8682° W
- Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Northern Annex — Outlier Rock Art Panelrock artOutlier rock_art panel linked to Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Northern Annex ceremonial landscape48.6560° N · 3.8685° W
- Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Northern Annex — Hydraulic/Cistern AnnexhydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir at Cairn de Barnenez Chamber D Annex — Northern Annex with plastered basin48.6555° N · 3.8703° W