Stone Alignments at Carnac, France

Photographer: Jim Bucko 

Summary Author: Jim Bucko 

One of my ‘bucket list’ items for many years has been to see the megalith alignments at Carnac, on the northwestern coast of France. These huge stones were erected over 6,000 years ago (have been dated to approximately 4,700 BCE or 6,700 years ago) and aligned in fairly straight lines over a distance of more than 2.5 miles (4 km).

I had seen the stone circles at Avebury and Stonehenge in southern England, but their configurations, although similar in some respects, were believed to be related to astronomic cycles and burial practices. Carnac, on the other hand, has significantly different patterns and probably different purposes. A primary similarity is that there were/are associated with burials -- cremation remains were installed underneath many of the stones. However, the current theory is that the lines of stones were intended as property lines, and warnings to people arriving from the seas and migrating (over land) from the east. It could also be said that the absolute enormity of this project would likely intimidate most would be usurpers. That is, the setting of these stones project power, strength, and organization. Note that Carnac is older than the stone circles in England by a couple of thousand years.

Carnac, France Coordinates: 47.5847, 3.0778

Related Links:

Avebury