The Carnac Stones are megalithic monuments located in northwestern France next to the Bay of Morbihan in the Carnac district of Brittany. Dating back to the Neolithic period, with over 3,000 stones, they are truly the largest concentration of prehistoric handcrafted stonework in the world.
Megaliths are widely distributed throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia. However, they are most abundant in Western Europe, particularly in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and France. There are approximately 50,000 megaliths, of which those near Carnac are considered among the most unusual. Some stones are patterned, and others are scattered randomly throughout the area. Unlike Stonehenge, the Carnac stones originated from local areas surrounding the site.
In northwestern France lies a mysterious “forest of stone statues,” attracting many archaeologists who come to study and decipher its secrets. This “forest of stone statues” is located in the village of Carnac, home to 4,000 people, in the Brittany region, and consists of a hillside with a system of over 3,000 vertically embedded stones.
These more than 3,000 upright burial stones are arranged in 13 rows, stretching over 12 kilometers. To this day, scientists have not found a precise and convincing answer as to why ancient people erected these stones in such rows, only knowing that they were created by prehistoric people thousands of years ago.
Carnac stone statue.
Some scientists believe that the stones were planted upright to create a sacred path where the gods traveled. More complex theories suggest that the stones were some kind of structure used for astronomical research, determining the light of the sun, moon, and other celestial bodies in the universe.
The stones were buried vertically.
However, the legend told by the people of Carnac is completely different. It is said that each stone is a Roman soldier. According to this legend, the Christian saint used his power to transform the Roman army marching through the area into these stones.
This megalithic site was built continuously over a period of 3,000 years.
Using modern methods, scientists have confirmed that this megalithic site was built over a very long period, between 7,000 and 4,000 years ago, meaning it was constructed continuously for 3,000 years. The prolonged construction process, across a vast area, makes the Carnac village the site with the largest megalithic system in the world.
Most of the stones are carved with simple shapes.
All the standing burial stones are monolithic and solitary. The size of the stones also varies. Some are only 1 meter high, while others reach 20 meters. Most of the stones are carved with simple shapes. The most common is the triangle, a symbol frequently used by the ancient Celts, carrying Christian significance. This symbol also represents cosmic harmony.
There’s a new theory that this is a giant cemetery.
Recently, scientists have leaned towards the hypothesis that this is a giant cemetery. Prehistoric people may have buried bodies elsewhere, or animals may have eaten the remains, and they erected stones as a sign of remembrance. People could tell the identity of the deceased simply by looking at the stones. The poor received small stones, but the rich were commemorated with enormous stones weighing tens of tons.
People could tell the identity of the deceased simply by looking at the stones.
Over thousands of years, the local inhabitants quarried limestone and built houses, significantly shrinking the ancient cemetery. Without human destruction, the megalithic site would have been unimaginably large, possibly ten times its current size.
