Megalithic Brittany: A Journey to Prehistory

[frenchmystiquetour]

This post is not just going to be about megaliths in Brittany. I'm also going to intertwine it with a personal story about my good friend, Jean-Jacques Rivard. But let's start with a definition first about just what is a megalith. While the basic definition is a large dry stone construction, my interest lies specifically in European megaliths dating to the neolithic period (about 4,500B.C. To 1,500B.C.) There are 2 basic types (with a number of sub-categories) called menhirs and dolmens. A dolmen is a funerary monument consisting of vertical slabs (walls) and topped with other horizontal slabs of stone (roof/ceiling). Inside there could be anywhere from one to a number of burials. A menhir is a standing stone. There is no widely accepted archaeological opinion as to precisely what purpose this feature served, although there are a number of theories.

Brittany has the highest concentration of megalithic features in the world. If you have a Michelin map you will note in your map legend that they have assigned a symbol to megalithic sites. My wife Veronique and I are certified “megalith hunters”.Whenever we travel in France if we happen to be in the vicinity of a megalith we usually try to hunt it down. Let's look at a few photos now so you can see what I'm talking about.


Above are 2 menhirs.


Above is a dolmen.


And another dolmen.


While some stones appear to be roughly quarried with little post quarrying modification, others, such as this one, appear to have been worked and shaped. Not only was there a reason for shaping stones but certain types of stones were selected either for aesthetic or symbolic purposes.

We also know that location was extremely important. Stones used to construct megaliths occasionally came from several kilometers away, even when there were other available stone sources nearby. Such enormous stones would not have been hauled such great distances to end up being placed randomly.

Below is a great example of a dolmen whose stone source came from several kilometers away and is located in a relatively featureless terrain. It is known as La Roche Aux Fees (The Fairies Stone) and was built around 3,000B.C. Additionally, the entrance and interior corridor of this dolmen are in alignment with the winter solstice sunrise. This is not the only megalith that has an alignment of astronomical significance. The scientific field correlating ancient constructions and astronomical features or events is called archaeoastronomy.



The old gentleman in the picture is my friend Jean-Jacques (we'll just call him JJ from now on) whom I mentioned earlier. As you can see by how JJ is dwarfed by this dolmen, La Roche Aux Fees is enormous. There is now a small visitor center and museum next to the dolmen should you ever be interested in a visit.

I'm going to digress a little now and bring a bit of a personal story into this post, as I had said that I would. JJ is an absolute pioneer in the field of archaeoastronomy. Back in the late 60's and early 70's JJ was living with a tribe of Maya in central America. He was the first person to ascribe a theory to the “shadow and serpent” effect that occurs on the spring equinox at The Temple of Kukulcan in the central American temple complex of Chichen-Itza. While JJ was living with the Maya he also wrote a dictionary translating Maya into Spanish. JJ speaks about 6 or 7 languages and is an accomplished artist. He was part of a team of artists who worked with the astronauts on the first Apollo mission to the moon. Their job was to take the blueprints for the lunar rover and make conceptual drawings. JJ has also done conceptual drawings for the auto-maker Ferrari and was part of a team once hired by the Italian government to come up with a plan for straightening the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The plan was so good the government fired them, I mean, who wants to visit a leaning tower that doesn't lean?! JJ doesn't have much money so a bunch of us took up a collection for his air-fare and at the tender young age of 89 years, JJ was off with me and Veronique (my wife) to go see France for 2 weeks.

[frenchmystiquetour]

Okay, I know, I know, this post is supposed to be about megaliths so let's get back to the subject. Let's see some more pretty pictures now.


This is a cromlech, which is essentially a bunch of menhirs forming a circle. They are fairly rare in France and are more frequently found in The British Isles.

Below are some photos of dolmens that I just found at random using the Michelin map as my guide.








I had mentioned in another post how sometimes a sacred site can be used by multiple cultures (think of the Dome of The Rock in Jerusalem). I also mentioned how the earliest christian churches were often built on top of previously utilized pagan sacred space. In Brittany there are about 1,500 natural water springs. All of them have a name associated with a saint or christianity. Every one of them also had a pagan name prior to their christianization. As seen in the christian rite of baptism, water is an essential part of sacred ceremonies.

I have also noted in my study of megaliths here in France that many of them seem to be located near rivers, springs and streams. Interesting how this concept seems to cross cultures and time. Undoubtedly, many megaliths were probably torn down by christians throughout the centuries, or at least, there was an attempt to christianize them. The below photo is a good example of this. If you look just to the left of the dolmen in this photo and just behind it, you will notice a small mound of earth with a stone column topped with a cross. The cross is now raised up higher than the height of the dolmen. I guess this would make it closer to heaven than the pagan monument next to which it sat.





Here we have what is called a tumulus or cairn, which is essentially a dolmen covered with earth. Some dolmens used to be covered with earth and all we see now are the stones that remain. There is discussion among archaeologists as to how frequently dolmens might have been earth covered. Some say many were and others say most weren't. Who knows? Notice the menhir on top of the tumulus, not commonly seen.

[frenchmystiquetour]

Here we have another tumulus with a double entrance. This one was only available for visit with a guide, who was present on site at various times during the week. An interesting feature here is that that the entrance on the right was the burial chamber. The entrance on the left had no burials but did have ceremonial goods. The left entrance way and interior corridor were also in alignment with the winter solstice sunrise.

Below is a dolmen known as The Dolmen de la Joseliere.



And another photo of the same dolmen below.



Another thing to notice that I find very interesting is the large white stone to the right of the entrance to the dolmen. This stone is a piece of quartz. At Native American sacred sites one of the defining features are piles of stone and sometimes there is a piece of white quartz in the center of the pile. Again we see different cultures finding shared belief in the sanctity of a certain feature. In reading about the megalithic history of this particular area in Brittany I discovered that white quartz was frequently utilized in the construction of dolmens in this specific area. It was, however, only found at or near the entrance to the interior corridor but never inside the interior chamber.

Below is a restored tumulus known as The Tumulus des Mousseaux.


Once again, if you look to the left you will notice a large chunk of white quartz that was used in the construction of the corridor wall and is located just inside the entrance to the interior chamber.


Here's a look at JJ inside a dolmen.


Here's another look inside a dolmen.


In the above photo you will notice me bent over to enter the dolmen. A feature of many dolmens is that the entry way is usually smaller than the interior of the chamber and requires some form of bending over, or perhaps humbling of yourself before entering a sacred space. There may also be some sort of birth canal reference here in that a small opening leads into a different world, in this case the world of the dead.

[frenchmystiquetour]

In the photo below is a great example of prehistoric art that is sometimes found inside dolmens. What these designs and patterns means are anyone's guess. There are some motifs that have been found repeatedly and there are some well formed ideas as to what they represent but with other types of engraving the meaning eludes us. Maybe they're just pretty designs. Any guesses?


In the photo below we see JJ posing in front of the Menhir du Champ Dolent, the tallest standing menhir in France (I think).


Here's me and JJ at Carnac, France's best known megalithic site. There are a few thousand menhirs in a series of alignments that stretch over a distance of about 4 kilometers at this site. Certainly one of the worlds most unique megalithic sites. During WWII when the American troops were approaching the coast near here they mistakenly believed that all the stones they saw in the distance were actually some sort of German defensive barrier.






Below is a photo of the Grand Menhir at Locmariaquer, which now lies on the ground. If standing it would be the worlds tallest menhir. What is interesting about this menhir is that it appears that after the menhir was erected it was intentionally knocked over. Further, you will notice how it is in three pieces. These breaks in the stone show signs of having been intentionally made so that the menhir would break when it was toppled. I like to imagine there is one of the architects lying underneath the stone whose last words were “Hold it right there, that's perfect.”

[frenchmystiquetour]

Below is a photo of my favorite (and relatively unheard of) megalithic feature in all of France. It is called The Great Cairn of Barnenez, and boy is it great. This cairn is 72 meters long, 27 meters wide and 9 meters high. It has three distinct pyramid like “steps” in its construction and houses 11 burial chambers. It was built in a few stages starting around 4,500B.C. and predates the pyramids at Giza by about 1,500 years. I don't know what qualifies as a pyramid but this thing has size, shape and the fact that it was used as a tomb. It is most likely the worlds oldest pyramid-like structure.


Here's a view from the other side.


In the above photo you might notice what appears to be a large hole in the right side of the cairn. This is due to modern damage. Up until the 1950's local people were using this thing as a source for raw stone building supply. One day while a crane was busy ripping into the cairn some bright archaeologist came along and said that maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

How about a pretty menhir picture because it's a sunset photo?


Everyone likes a sunset photo, right?


And finally, what photo journal post could be considered complete without a picture of an old man sticking his head in the bunny hole.

[sunshine817]

Very cool!

Two of my best friends and I went to Mexico when we graduated university -- we chose to go to see Chichen-Itza -- so yes, I have climbed the pyramid that the serpent descends on the solstice. The astronomy there is mindboggling...and to think where did all that knowledge go is humbling.

Thanks for the photos of the dolmens...this moves Brittany higher on the places to see list.

[holger]

Welcome and thanks. As an anthropologist, I have visited the majority of the megalithic structures in Great Britain including those in the Orkney's. In September I plan on spending several days in Brittany and Normandy. Will be going to Carnac and may try some other sites you mentioned. So this was a timely post.

Any tips on places to eat nearby some of these sites? My two companions are more likely to be amenable to tramping around if we can have some good food.

[PariS]

Welcome to the forum--and awesome posts! I had no idea so many of these kinds of sites were around France. I've got to check some of them out one day--very interesting!

[Jody]

Awesome doesn't quite cover it!!

I wish we;d had you along on our trip to Brittany. We enjoyed some of the places you visited but really didn't get the whole history . Your friend JJ sounds like a remarkable gentleman. I'm glad you had the opportunity to visit with him and explore.



Holger, We stayed at a beautiful hotel in Questembert with the most fantastic kitchen!

Le Bretagne et Sa Residence

[mossie]

Really fascinating.
Now you have to go to Stonehenge and Avebury
It is interesting how these things normally have an astronomical alignment. The ancients always needed to know the seasons because of planting crops.
Many thanks

[joan1]

Thank you for this and other thread on bike tours, both wonderful threads to enjoy,, and I learned more about Megaliths in a few short minutes then I have ever know in almost 50 years. I love this forum,, and the great members who contribute so much to it.

Really enjoyed your photos, and also enjoyed "meeting" your friend JJ through thread, and glad he has friends like you .

[frenchmystiquetour]

Thanks all for welcoming me to the site with your generous compliments. Busy today but will have some personal replies tonight or tomorrow.

[frenchmystiquetour]

sunshine - JJ gave many others the idea to explore Chichen. Sadly, many of his ideas were stolen without giving him credit. Our mutual friend is The Director for the Center of Archaeoastronomy at The Smithsonian and he has some new theories about the Maya and will be giving JJ credit in his upcoming book.

holger - Near Carnac is an island in the middle of the Gulf of Morbihan that you must visit, known as Gavrinis. Accessible by ferry, it is a cairn and has some unbelievable engraved images inside. A premier example of neolithic art. I don't know of any specific restaurants but just remember lunch is from noon to 2:00 in France. In any small village there is usually at least 1 place for lunch and most towns have a half dozen or so choices so food should not be a problem. As your trip time approaches if you want to send me a private message I can probably give you some tips about what you might want to see in Brittany and Normandy. For now, there is a great website created by a megalith fan called The Megalithic Portal and it is a great resource for locating megalithic sites. Just google and you'll find it.

Annette - Just look for the megalith icon on your Michelin map and you'll notice they can be found in many regions in France.

Jody - Thanks. JJ is quite unique.

mossie - Someday I will be visiting Stonehenge and other megaliths sites in the UK. The archaeoastronomy at these sites had several purposes. Yes, it was used as a calendar but also for ritual and ceremonial reasons as well. Often it was a blend of all of the above.

joan1 - Thank you for reading both my posts. I see you live in some islands on the west coast of Canada. The native Americans in your area had their own sort of megalithic sites. Theirs were essentially rock piles/cairns. Some were burials and some we just don't know the purpose. Some seem to have archaeoastronomical significance. If you live near the Salish coast there are supposed to be many features there. Next time you go into the woods, keep your eyes peeled for piles of rocks that look unusual. Google the words "Salish coast/rock piles/cairns" and you'll stumble on something, I'm sure.

[PariS]

Jun 18, 2010 10:33:58 GMT -5 frenchmystiquetour said:

Annette - Just look for the megalith icon on your Michelin map and you'll notice they can be found in many regions in France.

Thanks--I just took out my map, and you're right--I found some I hate to admit, but I've never studied the Legend on my map!

[frenchmystiquetour]

I love the Michelin maps. So full of useful info.

[joan1]

Yes fmt( we have to shorten your screen name,, lol) we do have burial cairns on island, some of which of course had to be protected when it was discovered they were not just random lumps of earth, and stones.. Some are very assessible, like the ones in Beacon Hill Park in almost downtown Victoria..

[framboiseetrose]

Thank you, frenchmystiquetour! An exalt for your introducing me to this prehistoric lesson!

[frenchmystiquetour]

joan1 - referring to me as fmt is fine. I've read some on-line reports about the cairns in your area.

framboiseetrose - You are most welcome. By the way, I noticed these Exalt and Smite buttons. What are they for? And when would one use them?

[PariS]

fmt--we've all been using our Exalt button to raise your Karma! When we like what we read or a post is especially helpful, we click the Exalt button Everyone is so nice here that we rarely have to use the Smite button! (negative Karma points)

[Jody]

Exceptional posts allow us to exalt you and raise your karma! And you are really moving up the ladder!