Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Western Terrace
Middle Neolithic (4500-4000 BCE)·Atlantic Neolithic·🇫🇷 Brittany, Morbihan, France
About
About Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Western Terrace
Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Western Terrace 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 citadel 4 × 2 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 47.5734N -2.9378E 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
- 01Chronology and phasing of construction episodes
- 02Function in regional settlement hierarchy
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 — Western Terrace main structure
c. 1392 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Western Terrace
19th–20th century
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Western Terrace) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
47.5734° N · 2.9378° W · 9 m · 4 mapped features
Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Western Terrace — Main Megalithic Feature
structurePrimary structure at Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Western Terrace — rock-cut facade with stratified deposits
47.5736° N · 2.9364° WEr Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Western Terrace — Secondary Enclosure
enclosureAncillary enclosure at Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Western Terrace — enclosure wall with stratified deposits
47.5744° N · 2.9362° WEr Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Western Terrace — Outlier Rock Art Panel
rock artOutlier rock_art panel linked to Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Western Terrace ceremonial landscape
47.5740° N · 2.9372° WEr Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Western Terrace — Hydraulic/Cistern Annex
hydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir at Er Grah Broken Menhir Base Deposit — Western Terrace with plastered basin
47.5725° N · 2.9358° W