Barnenez Cairn: Dimensions and 1950s Rescue Discovery. Barnenez measures 72m long, 25m wide at one end and 19m at the other, 8m high 13 to 14,000 tons of stone used in construction In the 1950s, Barnenez was used as a quarry for building a local road
Barnenez (c. 4800-3000 BC): Brittany's great cairn — 74m long, up to 29m wide, 8m high. Archaeological work began 1955 when quarrying exposed burial chambers. Pierre-Roland Giot led the rescue, making it among Brittany's first monuments to receive proper study. ⛏️🏛️
Key Facts
- Barnenez measures 72m long, 25m wide at one end and 19m at the other, 8m high
- 13 to 14,000 tons of stone used in construction
- In the 1950s, Barnenez was used as a quarry for building a local road
- Pierre Rolan was called in and single-handedly rescued the monument, stopping the quarrying
- This was among the first monuments in Brittany to receive archaeological attention
- Initial radiocarbon dates yielded 4,800 BC, which is extraordinarily early
- Pierre Rolan's work led France to pass a law requiring anyone discovering an archaeological site to preserve it
Related site: Barnenez — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: This Huge Megalithic Tomb in France was built 2,000 years before the Pyramids by The Prehistory Guys