Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit
Middle Neolithic (4500-4000 BCE)·Atlantic Neolithic·🇫🇷 Brittany, Morbihan, France
About
About Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit
Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit in Brittany, Morbihan, France is a Middle Neolithic (4500-4000 BCE) megalithic attributed to Atlantic Neolithic. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal necropolis 11 × 4 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 47.5789N -2.9550E 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. 4300 BCE
- Period
- Middle Neolithic (4500-4000 BCE)
- Culture
- Atlantic Neolithic
- Purpose
- Collective burial and territorial marker for agro-pastoral community
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 4300 BCE
Initial construction of Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit main structure
c. 884 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit
19th–20th century
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
47.5789° N · 2.9550° W · -10 m · 3 mapped features
Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Main Megalithic Feature
plazaPrimary plaza at Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — rock-cut facade with stratified deposits
47.5795° N · 2.9540° WEr Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Secondary Enclosure
reservoirAncillary reservoir at Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — central chambered cairn with stratified deposits
47.5808° N · 2.9563° WEr Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Outlier Rock Art Panel
moundOutlier mound panel linked to Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit ceremonial landscape
47.5790° N · 2.9557° W