Menhir de Kerloas
Kerloas Menhir · Menhir of Kerloas · Plouarzel Menhir · Giant of Kerloas
Late Neolithic (c.5000–4000 BCE)·Armorican Neolithic (Brittany)·🇫🇷 Brittany, Finistère (Plouarzel), France
About
About Menhir de Kerloas
Tallest standing menhir in Europe still upright, near Plouarzel village, Finistère, Brittany. Granite monolith 9.5 m high (originally ~11.5 m before lightning strike in 18th century broke top 2 m), 2.2 m wide, 1.2 m thick, weighing c.150 tonnes. Erected c.5000–4000 BCE (Late Neolithic). Base displays two bulbous boss protrusions possibly representing breasts, interpreted as anthropomorphic or mother-goddess imagery. Aligns with nearby alignments and distantly with Saint-Michel tumulus sightlines. Phallic form with cupules? Scheduled Monument Historique. Managed trail; vivid fertility folklore (rubbing brings fertility).
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Original 2 m top fragment lost after lightning — whereabouts and shape
- 02Meaning of twin basal bosses — breasts vs natural granite bulges
Theories
- 01Kerloas as central menhir of extensive Neolithic alignment system now largely destroyed by agriculture
- 02Phallic-breast dual symbolism represents fertility unification rite
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. 5000–4000 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic (c.5000–4000 BCE)
- Culture
- Armorican Neolithic (Brittany)
- Purpose
- Monumental standing stone — territorial marker, ritual menhir with anthropomorphic symbolism
- Excavation
- Unexcavated
c. 5000–4000 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1200 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
48.4255° N · 4.7450° W · 104 m · 3 mapped features
Standing Monolith (9.5 m)
menhirGranite menhir 9.5 m high with flat east face and twin bosses at base
48.4255° N · 4.7450° WTwin Basal Bosses
artTwo hemispherical granite bulges at north and south base interpreted as breasts
48.4255° N · 4.7450° WLightning Top Scar
architectural featureFractured top where 2 m tip broke in 18th century storm
48.4256° N · 4.7450° W