Barnenez Dating Controversy and Chronology. Original dating of 4,800 BC has been questioned because the charcoal used could have come from elsewhere More reliable dates for Barnenez are approximately 4,300 to 4,100 BC Barnenez contains 11 separate passage tombs (A through J, with G and G1)
Barnenez was originally dated to 4,800 BC but that was questioned—more reliable radiocarbon dates now place its construction between 4,850 and 4,250 BC (first phase) and 4,450 to 4,000 BC (second phase), making it one of Europe's oldest megalithic monuments đŸ”¬
Key Facts
- Original dating of 4,800 BC has been questioned because the charcoal used could have come from elsewhere
- More reliable dates for Barnenez are approximately 4,300 to 4,100 BC
- Barnenez contains 11 separate passage tombs (A through J, with G and G1)
- The eastern end is older than the western end
- Tomb construction involved different styles: megalithic (orthostats) and dry stone walling
- Typology-based dating is considered unreliable as construction styles could be aesthetic choices or depend on available materials
- A Spanish team recently studied passage grave H and found carvings indicating stones may have been reused from other monuments
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