Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Northern Annex
Middle Neolithic (4500-4000 BCE)·Atlantic Neolithic·🇫🇷 Brittany, Morbihan, France
About
About Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Northern Annex
Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Northern Annex 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 5 × 6 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 47.5601N -2.9594E 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
- Excavated
c. 4300 BCE
Initial construction of Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Northern Annex main structure
c. 1047 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Northern Annex
19th–20th century
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Northern Annex) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
47.5601° N · 2.9594° W · 6 m · 4 mapped features
- Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Northern Annex — Main Megalithic FeaturereservoirPrimary reservoir at Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Northern Annex — central chambered cairn with stratified deposits47.5619° N · 2.9610° W
- Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Northern Annex — Secondary EnclosuremoundAncillary mound at Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Northern Annex — enclosure wall with stratified deposits47.5606° N · 2.9590° W
- Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Northern Annex — Outlier Rock Art PaneldromosOutlier dromos panel linked to Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Northern Annex ceremonial landscape47.5599° N · 2.9608° W
- Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Northern Annex — Hydraulic/Cistern AnnexstructureHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir at Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Northern Annex with plastered basin47.5605° N · 2.9607° W