Carnac Stones

The Carnac Stones are the largest collection of megalithic monuments in the world, comprising over 3,000 standing stones erected between the 5th and 3rd millennia BC by Neolithic farming communities in Brittany. The alignments stretch across 15 kilometres, with the most complete group at Le Menec featuring eleven parallel rows of stones decreasing in size eastward, terminating in stone circles. Their purpose remains debated, with theories ranging from processional ways and sacred spaces to astronomical calendars marking solstice sunrise patterns. Scientific study began in the 19th century with Scotsman J. Miln, whose student Zacharie Le Rouzic continued excavations and ensured the stones' preservation.