Carnac Le Menec West Sector Alignment — Western Terrace
Late Neolithic (3000-2500 BCE)·Atlantic Neolithic·🇫🇷 Brittany, Morbihan, France
About
About Carnac Le Menec West Sector Alignment — Western Terrace
Carnac Le Menec West Sector Alignment — Western Terrace in Brittany, Morbihan, France is a Late Neolithic (3000-2500 BCE) megalithic attributed to Atlantic Neolithic. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal chamber 7 × 3 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 47.5822N -3.0807E controls access to Brittany, Morbihan 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, Morbihan, 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
- 01Ancestral burial reuse over centuries
- 02Astronomical alignment hypothesis
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. 3000 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic (3000-2500 BCE)
- Culture
- Atlantic Neolithic
- Purpose
- Collective burial and territorial marker for agro-pastoral community
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 3000 BCE
Initial construction of Carnac Le Menec West Sector Alignment — Western Terrace main structure
c. 890 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Carnac Le Menec West Sector Alignment — Western Terrace
19th–20th century
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Carnac Le Menec West Sector Alignment — Western Terrace) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
47.5822° N · 3.0807° W · 23 m · 3 mapped features
- Carnac Le Menec West Sector Alignment — Western Terrace — Main Megalithic FeaturetemplePrimary temple at Carnac Le Menec West Sector Alignment — Western Terrace — enclosure wall with stratified deposits47.5809° N · 3.0821° W
- Carnac Le Menec West Sector Alignment — Western Terrace — Secondary EnclosurechamberAncillary chamber at Carnac Le Menec West Sector Alignment — Western Terrace — platform mound with stratified deposits47.5819° N · 3.0794° W
- Carnac Le Menec West Sector Alignment — Western Terrace — Outlier Rock Art PanelcairnOutlier cairn panel linked to Carnac Le Menec West Sector Alignment — Western Terrace ceremonial landscape47.5813° N · 3.0805° W
Gallery