# The Carnac alignments > The Carnac alignments are rows of thousands of standing stones on the south coast of Brittany, part of a megalithic landscape stretching more than 10 km… Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-27T17:47:11+00:00 --- **MYS** 0D69T6W402CY·Mystery · site # The Carnac alignments **0** [Follow][Ask a question](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions/key-questions?mystery=carnac-alignments) The Carnac alignments ![France, Morbihan, Carnac, Kermario](https://mysteriesdept.com/media/folio/carnac-alignments-lead) Pinpin · CC BY-SA 3.0 Where Carnac, Plouharnel, La Trinité-sur-Mer and Erdeven, Morbihan, France⁠[[1]] Extent Thousands of standing stones in a coastal zone more than 10 km wide⁠[[1]] Dated rows Le Plasker alignments 4668–4368 cal BC, last stone 4372–4249 cal BC (95.4%)⁠[[1]] Radiocarbon 49 dates from 33 features at Le Plasker, Bayesian model in OxCal 4.4⁠[[1]] World Heritage Inscribed July 2025 as the Megaliths of Carnac and of the shores of Morbihan⁠[[2]] Surveyed Instrument surveys by Alexander and Archibald Thom, 1970s⁠[[5]] Status Partly explained Questions 0 of 4 answered People [**Alexander Thom** Engineer and surveyor of megalithic sites](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/people/FIG0D69T8JT2DA9/alexander-thom)[**Audrey Blanchard** Archaeologist, Archeodunum and Nantes; director of the Le Plasker excavation](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/people/FIG0D69T8367FZM/audrey-blanchard)[**Bettina Schulz Paulsson** Archaeologist, University of Gothenburg; built the Bayesian models](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/people/FIG0D69T8B06ZE9/bettina-schulz-paulsson) Catalog key**MYS** 0D69T6W402CY Around Carnac in southern Brittany, rows of standing stones run for kilometres across the land between the Bay of Quiberon and the Gulf of Morbihan. With tombs, mounds, stone enclosures and Europe's highest reported density of Alpine greenstone artefacts, they form one of the richest megalithic landscapes in Europe, extending more than 10 km from La Trinité-sur-Mer to Erdeven⁠[[1]]. In July 2025 the Megaliths of Carnac and of the shores of Morbihan were inscribed as a World Heritage property, with monuments dated from about 5000 to 2300 BCE⁠[[2]]. The rows themselves had resisted dating. The soils are acid and destroy bone, the main excavations happened in the 19th and early 20th centuries with patchy records, and the visible rows have hardly been dug since Zacharie Le Rouzic in the 1920s and Werner Hülle in 1940 to 1942⁠[[1]]⁠[[3]]. Across Europe, Bayesian models of 2,410 radiocarbon dates place the first megaliths in north-west France in the first half of the fifth millennium BC, but those dates come from tombs⁠[[4]]. In 2020 a rescue excavation at Le Plasker in Plouharnel, 2 km west of the Le Ménec rows, found the foundation pits of a lost section of the complex. Forty-nine radiocarbon dates on short-lived charcoal show a Late Mesolithic hut about 5700 cal BC, a small mound over a stone cist about 4790 to 4640 cal BC, and rows of standing stones raised in stages between about 4670 and 4250 cal BC beside cooking pits⁠[[1]]. Of the 4 questions on this site, 0 are answered. The most likely answer to “When were the Carnac rows raised?”, not yet confirmed: the rows were raised in the fifth millennium BC, from about 4670 to 4250 cal BC, in stages over about three…. ### Key questionsset by the editors [**When were the Carnac rows raised?** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/questions/QST0D69TB8R4CS4/when-were-the-carnac-rows-raised)Most likely: the rows were raised in the fifth millennium BC, from about 4670 to 4250 cal BC, in stages over about three… [**Why were the rows built?** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/questions/QST0D69TBGJ4W2Z/why-were-the-rows-built)Most likely: the rows translate the region's natural granite outcrops and ridges into built form, recreating a rock… [All 4 questions ](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions/key-questions?mystery=carnac-alignments) ## The site The surviving rows, such as Le Ménec, Kermario and Kerlescan, run roughly parallel across low ground and are associated with standing-stone enclosures⁠[[1]]. The Thoms surveyed them with instruments in the early 1970s and published plans that remain the most detailed measured record⁠[[5]]⁠[[6]]. The complex was larger than what stands now: stones were broken and reused in later tombs, and others have been removed in recent times⁠[[7]]⁠[[1]]. [![The standing rows of Le Ménec, Kermario and Kerlescan](https://mysteriesdept.com/files/v/e0f7a10e086b81d5bf515a1d4b66dda0fac61395375df511951dc80cd4d0f860/w800)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/artifacts/ART0D69TPG43WKT/the-standing-rows-of-le-menec-kermario-and-kerlescan) The standing rows of Le Ménec, Kermario and KerlescanLieven Smits. CC BY-SA 3.0[Artifact ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/artifacts/ART0D69TPG43WKT/the-standing-rows-of-le-menec-kermario-and-kerlescan) In June 2023 about 39 small fallen menhirs at Montaubin, outside the protected area, were destroyed to build a DIY store; the regional heritage service judged that perhaps four had archaeological value, and prosecutors opened an investigation⁠[[8]]. The episode shows how much of the complex survives only as low, unrecorded stones and buried pits. **Map of the site** [Open the full map](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/map) [Site][Region] [+][−] 1 **Carnac alignments (Le Ménec, Kermario, Kerlescan)** Megalithic stone rows Within 1 km 2 **Kermario alignments** Stone rows Mapped 3 **Kerlescan and Le Manio survey area** Geophysical survey area Within 1 km 4 **Montaubin, Carnac** Destroyed menhir group Within 100 m 5 **Le Ménec alignments** Stone rows Mapped 6 **Kerlescan alignments** Stone rows Mapped MappedWithin 1 kmBase map © OpenStreetMap contributors ### Timeline **Timeline** Squeezed where little happened. Each mark is a published claim, by how it stands:AcceptedMost likelyStill possibleDisputedRuled out ## What was found Le Plasker covers about 7000 m² on a south-west-facing slope overlooking the sea. The earliest feature is an oval ditched structure of about 5.7 by 5.1 m, read as a Late Mesolithic hut, with three small monoliths beside it⁠[[1]]. About 300 years later a mound 3.3 m across was built directly over the hut, covering a dry-stone cist of 0.7 by 0.9 m with no surviving bones. Forty-six unworked granite boulders, brought from more than 2 km away and laid with their weathered faces up, surround its southern side, as if to recreate a natural outcrop⁠[[1]]. [![Standing-stone foundation pits with wedging stones, Le Plasker](https://mysteriesdept.com/files/v/89b34e00be1f8b2e84f6d2a14821ee027f033f70bd38555e372aba34cc9a9d41/w800)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/artifacts/ART0D69TN926KXH/standing-stone-foundation-pits-with-wedging-stones-le) Standing-stone foundation pits with wedging stones, Le PlaskerA. Blanchard and F. Montassier. CC BY 4.0[Artifact ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/artifacts/ART0D69TN926KXH/standing-stone-foundation-pits-with-wedging-stones-le) [![Pre-megalithic mound and dry-stone cist, Le Plasker](https://mysteriesdept.com/files/v/c477215e85ecd0f8eabd183da096f7f92aa7d86bbdb0c9731034908e31111550/w800)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/artifacts/ART0D69TNRP4334/pre-megalithic-mound-and-dry-stone-cist-le-plasker) Pre-megalithic mound and dry-stone cist, Le PlaskerA. Blanchard. CC BY 4.0[Artifact ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/artifacts/ART0D69TNRP4334/pre-megalithic-mound-and-dry-stone-cist-le-plasker) To the west, foundation pits about 1.8 m across, each packed with some 60 wedging blocks, held standing stones that the authors estimate stood more than 3 m tall. The stones themselves are gone, removed in an orderly way that left the wedges in place. Cooking pits with charred stones, about 1.5 m across, lie beside and in line with them⁠[[1]]. ## What is known The Bayesian model gives six phases: Mesolithic occupation 5699–5621 cal BC and 5563–5075 cal BC; the mound and cist 4791–4640 cal BC; the main alignments 4668–4368 cal BC; a last standing stone 4372–4249 cal BC; and last cooking pits 4251–4040 cal BC, all at 95.4% probability. The model agreement indices are Amodel 105 and Aoverall 98.7⁠[[1]]. The rows were not built at once. New stones and rows were added along the same north-north-west to south-south-east axis over about three centuries, so a row is the outcome of many acts of building, not a single plan executed in one go⁠[[1]]. [![Charcoal samples from 33 features (49 dates)](https://mysteriesdept.com/files/v/5d062c292c303be496c13a57e413937ec7b2f5c1eaa12b06255381e212c8ee24/w800)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/artifacts/ART0D69TP8A02M6/charcoal-samples-from-33-features-49-dates) Charcoal samples from 33 features (49 dates)A. Blanchard and F. Montassier, 2020. CC BY 4.0[Artifact ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/artifacts/ART0D69TP8A02M6/charcoal-samples-from-33-features-49-dates) The Le Plasker dates fall in the same centuries as the earliest Carnac tombs and the large mounds such as Saint-Michel and Tumiac, and early in the European sequence of megaliths⁠[[1]]⁠[[4]]. The 2019 European database holds 177 dates from Brittany, none of them from a stone row, which is why Le Plasker matters⁠[[4]]. ## The explanations The astronomical reading treats the rows and large menhirs as instruments: Alexander and Archibald Thom argued that the Carnac stones were laid out to observe the extreme rising and setting points of the moon, with the great menhirs as foresights⁠[[9]]⁠[[10]]. It predicts row directions and sightlines that match lunar and solar horizon events at the date of building, better than chance. The landscape reading holds that the rows translated the region's natural granite outcrops and ridges into a built form, with boulder sizes graded to the slope and stones placed to echo the original rock landscape⁠[[11]]⁠[[1]]. It predicts that row positions follow topography and outcrops more closely than the sky. The communal-project reading, which the Le Plasker team favours, sees the rows as a monument built and rebuilt over generations, with fires and probably feasts at the stones when people gathered to raise them; the cooking pits are the evidence, though their use is not yet proved⁠[[1]]. It predicts staggered dates along each row and food residues in the pits. These readings can overlap; what the evidence can test is which one predicts the layout and the sequence. ### Published claims **Published claims and their status** | Year | Who | Claimed | Status | Reason | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1805 | Jacques Cambry⁠[13] | The Carnac rows are a temple of the Celts, raised for the druids' cult of stones. | Ruled out | Radiocarbon dates put the raising of the stones at Le Plasker in the fifth millennium BC, thousands of years before any Celts or druids⁠[1] | | 1971 | Alexander and Archibald Thom⁠[9] | The large Carnac menhirs, the Grand Menhir Brisé above all, were foresights for marking the moon's extreme rising and setting points. | Disputed | A field re-examination of the sight-lines cast serious doubt on the lunar reading⁠[14] | | 1972 | Alexander and Archibald Thom⁠[5] | The Le Ménec and Kermario rows were laid out to a geometric plan in a standard unit, the megalithic yard. | Disputed | The unit and method are widely criticised, and at Le Plasker the rows grew by additions over three centuries rather than to one plan⁠[1] | | 1976 | Alexander and Archibald Thom⁠[10] | The rows at Le Ménec and Kermario served as two lunar observatories, with the stone rows used to extrapolate the moon's positions. | Disputed | The field evidence behind it was re-examined and found wanting, though no orientation test against random lines has been published⁠[14] | | 1981 | Evan Hadingham⁠[14] | The field evidence for a lunar observatory at Carnac does not hold up when re-examined on the ground. | Most likely | No later study has revived the Thoms' Carnac observatory, and the staged growth of the Le Plasker rows fits a monument added to over generations⁠[1] | | 2008 | Emmanuel Mens⁠[7] | Standing stones in western France were broken up and reused in later monuments, which refitting of the fragments shows. | Accepted | Refits of fragments across monuments demonstrate it, and the emptied foundation pits at Le Plasker show stones removed wholesale⁠[7]⁠[1] | | 2011 | Chris Scarre⁠[11] | The rows turn the region's natural granite outcrops and ridges into a built landscape. | Still possible | Unworked boulders laid face-up like an outcrop at Le Plasker fit it, but it has not been tested against other readings⁠[1] | | 2019 | Bettina Schulz Paulsson⁠[4] | Megalith building began in north-west France in the fifth millennium BC and spread along the coasts of Europe by sea. | Still possible | It rests on a model of 2,410 radiocarbon dates, none of them from a Breton stone row, so it frames the rows without dating them⁠[4] | | 2025 | Audrey Blanchard and colleagues⁠[1] | The Le Plasker rows were raised in stages between about 4670 and 4250 cal BC, beside a mound and cooking pits. | Accepted | Forty-nine dates on short-lived charcoal in a modelled sequence support it, though the main surviving rows are not yet dated the same way⁠[1] | | 2025 | UNESCO World Heritage Committee⁠[2] | The megaliths of Carnac and the Morbihan shore form one monumental landscape built between about 5000 and 2300 BC. | Accepted | The inscription rests on the State party's nomination and the advisory body's evaluation, and no one disputes the date range⁠[2] | | 2026 | Guillaume Bruniaux and colleagues⁠[3] | Buried structures around the Carnac rows, such as pits, hearths and fallen stones invisible at the surface, can be found with combined geophysical methods. | Still possible | Only the first results of the 2024 surveys are published, and none of the anomalies has yet been excavated⁠[3] | ## What would settle it Dates from the standing rows themselves. Le Plasker shows that foundation pits with wedging stones and charcoal survive and can be dated; similar small excavations at Le Ménec, Kermario and Kerlescan would test whether the famous rows are of the same age and built in the same staged way⁠[[1]]⁠[[3]]. The lipid, phytolith and environmental DNA analyses announced for the Le Plasker cooking pits will show what was cooked there⁠[[1]]. The astronomical claims would be tested by an alignment analysis that measures every row from lidar and the Thom plans, computes horizon altitudes for the fifth millennium BC, and compares the result with random orientations of the same rows⁠[[12]]⁠[[5]]. ## Questions 0 of 4 questions are answered. **Key questions** [All 4](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions/key-questions?mystery=carnac-alignments) **0** [When were the Carnac rows raised?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/questions/QST0D69TB8R4CS4/when-were-the-carnac-rows-raised) 0 of 1 sub-questions answered·0 Most likely: the rows were raised in the fifth millennium BC, from about 4670 to 4250 cal BC, in stages over about three… **0** [Why were the rows built?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/questions/QST0D69TBGJ4W2Z/why-were-the-rows-built) 0 of 1 sub-questions answered·0 Most likely: the rows translate the region's natural granite outcrops and ridges into built form, recreating a rock… ## Evidence 18 findings [When were the Carnac rows raised?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/questions/QST0D69TB8R4CS4/when-were-the-carnac-rows-raised)6 findings [The rows were raised in the fifth millennium BC, from about 4670 to 4250 cal BC, in stages over about three…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/answers/ANS0D69TC8061BQ/the-rows-were-raised-in-the-fifth-millennium-bc-from-about)Most likely +[Nine foundation pits at Le Plasker date to 4668–4368 cal BC and a last stone to 4372–4249 cal BC (95.4%).](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TCFT183K/nine-foundation-pits-at-le-plasker-date-to-46684368-cal-bc)Established +[The rows at Le Plasker were added at different, partly overlapping times along a common axis.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TCQM0CQC/the-rows-at-le-plasker-were-added-at-different-partly)Supported −[Le Plasker is a lost section 2 km from the surviving rows; no row at Le Ménec, Kermario or Kerlescan is yet dated in the same way.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TCZE4B4D/le-plasker-is-a-lost-section-2-km-from-the-surviving-rows-no)Established [The main surviving rows belong mostly to the later Neolithic, after 4000 BC.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/answers/ANS0D69TD786QF2/the-main-surviving-rows-belong-mostly-to-the-later-neolithic)Still possible +[The World Heritage property's monuments span about 5000 to 2300 BCE, so later building in the complex is expected.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TDF227SW/the-world-heritage-propertys-monuments-span-about-5000-to)Suggestive [Standing stones at Carnac began with late hunter-gatherers before 5000 BC.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/answers/ANS0D69TDPW441Y/standing-stones-at-carnac-began-with-late-hunter-gatherers)Still possible +[Three small monoliths stand beside the Late Mesolithic hut at Le Plasker, set before the later cairn.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TDYP22ZE/three-small-monoliths-stand-beside-the-late-mesolithic-hut)Suggestive −[A 300-year gap separates the Mesolithic phases from the first Neolithic building; the rows begin after 4670 cal BC.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TE6G4MJG/a-300-year-gap-separates-the-mesolithic-phases-from-the)Supported [Why were the rows built?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/questions/QST0D69TBGJ4W2Z/why-were-the-rows-built)7 findings [The rows and great menhirs were laid out to observe the moon's extreme rising and setting points.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/answers/ANS0D69TEP43P82/the-rows-and-great-menhirs-were-laid-out-to-observe-the)Disputed +[The Thoms' surveys found geometric and astronomical regularities in the Le Ménec and Kermario rows.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TEXY191Z/the-thoms-surveys-found-geometric-and-astronomical)Suggestive −[At Le Plasker the rows grew over three centuries by additions on one axis.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TF5R1VES/at-le-plasker-the-rows-grew-over-three-centuries-by)Suggestive [The rows translate the region's natural granite outcrops and ridges into built form, recreating a rock…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/answers/ANS0D69TFDJ13NC/the-rows-translate-the-regions-natural-granite-outcrops-and)Most likely +[At Le Plasker 46 unworked granite boulders from more than 2 km away were laid face-up around the tomb to resemble an outcrop.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TFNC1NPF/at-le-plasker-46-unworked-granite-boulders-from-more-than-2)Supported +[At Kerlescan the boulders increase in size up the slope.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TFX63E4D/at-kerlescan-the-boulders-increase-in-size-up-the-slope)Suggestive [The rows were a communal monument built and added to over generations at gatherings, with fires and feasts…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/answers/ANS0D69TG504TH3/the-rows-were-a-communal-monument-built-and-added-to-over)Most likely +[Cooking pits with charred stones lie beside the foundation pits, some in line with them, and date to the same phases.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TGCT7R47/cooking-pits-with-charred-stones-lie-beside-the-foundation)Supported −[Charcoal analysis excludes grain roasting and smoking; residue, phytolith and eDNA results are pending.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TGMM6WX4/charcoal-analysis-excludes-grain-roasting-and-smoking)Suggestive [The rows marked and monumentalised the ground of the dead, linked to the tombs they were built beside.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/answers/ANS0D69TGWE2SG9/the-rows-marked-and-monumentalised-the-ground-of-the-dead)Most likely +[At Le Plasker the first standing stones went up within decades of the cist mound, a few metres from it.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TH4844QF/at-le-plasker-the-first-standing-stones-went-up-within)Supported [Were the rows planned as one design or accreted over time?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/questions/QST0D69TBRC6PC1/were-the-rows-planned-as-one-design-or-accreted-over-time)2 findings [Rows grew by additions over centuries along a common axis.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/answers/ANS0D69THKW38D0/rows-grew-by-additions-over-centuries-along-a-common-axis)Most likely +[Three subphases of standing stones and a final stone at Le Plasker span 4670 to 4250 cal BC.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69THVP2FBT/three-subphases-of-standing-stones-and-a-final-stone-at-le)Established [Each row system was laid out to a single plan in a short period.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/answers/ANS0D69TJ3G4E82/each-row-system-was-laid-out-to-a-single-plan-in-a-short)Disputed −[Staggered dates within the Le Plasker rows.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TJBA1NEM/staggered-dates-within-the-le-plasker-rows)Supported [How much of the original complex survives?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/questions/QST0D69TC060AY7/how-much-of-the-original-complex-survives)3 findings [Large parts of the complex have been removed, leaving buried foundation pits that can be mapped.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/answers/ANS0D69TJTY4P8G/large-parts-of-the-complex-have-been-removed-leaving-buried)Most likely +[Le Plasker's standing stones were all removed, leaving the wedging stones in place.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TK2R1EGV/le-plaskers-standing-stones-were-all-removed-leaving-the)Established +[Rescue excavations around Carnac have found many buried cooking stones and monoliths invisible on the surface.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TKAJ5NAA/rescue-excavations-around-carnac-have-found-many-buried)Supported +[Standing stones were broken and reused in later monuments.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/evidence/EVD0D69TKJC669T/standing-stones-were-broken-and-reused-in-later-monuments)Supported ## Artifacts The films, photos, papers and objects this mystery rests on, each with its own key and its distance from the original. **Artifacts** [See all 16](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/artifacts) Photo1 step from object [Standing-stone foundation pits with wedging stones, Le Plasker](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/artifacts/ART0D69TN926KXH/standing-stone-foundation-pits-with-wedging-stones-le) A. Blanchard and F. Montassier · CC BY 4.0 Photo1 step from object [Pre-megalithic mound and dry-stone cist, Le Plasker](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/artifacts/ART0D69TNRP4334/pre-megalithic-mound-and-dry-stone-cist-le-plasker) A. Blanchard · CC BY 4.0 Map2 steps from object [Charcoal samples from 33 features (49 dates)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/artifacts/ART0D69TP8A02M6/charcoal-samples-from-33-features-49-dates) A. Blanchard and F. Montassier · CC BY 4.0 Photo1 step from object [The standing rows of Le Ménec, Kermario and Kerlescan](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/artifacts/ART0D69TPG43WKT/the-standing-rows-of-le-menec-kermario-and-kerlescan) Lieven Smits · CC BY-SA 3.0 Map1 step from object [Alexander and Archibald Thom's surveyed plans of the Carnac rows](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/artifacts/ART0D69TRPE37MX/alexander-and-archibald-thoms-surveyed-plans-of-the-carnac) A. Thom and A. S. Thom · publisher Map1 step from object [Magnetic, electromagnetic and radar survey maps of the Kerlescan and Manio area](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/artifacts/ART0D69TSDW4037/magnetic-electromagnetic-and-radar-survey-maps-of-the) Bruniaux, Mathé, Agogué and others · CC BY-NC 4.0 [See all 16 artifacts](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/carnac-alignments/artifacts) ## See also [ **Gunung Padang** A terraced hilltop of andesite columns in West Java, dated to the last centuries BC. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/gunung-padang) [ **Göbekli Tepe** A mound in south-eastern Turkey with carved stone pillars of the 10th millennium BC. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/gobekli-tepe) [ **How the Great Pyramid was built** Khufu's pyramid at Giza, built in the 26th century BC by a paid Egyptian workforce. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-pyramid) [ **Puma Punku and Tiwanaku** A sixth-century platform of precisely cut andesite at Tiwanaku, Bolivia. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/puma-punku) ## References 1. 1.[Blanchard, A., Guyodo, J., Schulz Paulsson, B. et al. 2025. Le Plasker in Plouharnel (fifth millennium cal BC): a newly discovered section of the megalithic complex of Carnac. Antiquity 99(406), 915–934.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D69T3PJ4ZTB/le-plasker-in-plouharnel-fifth-millennium-cal-bc-a-newly)[doi](https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2025.10123)cited 41 times here**SRC** 0D69T3PJ4ZTB 1. 2.[UNESCO World Heritage Committee 2025. Decision 47 COM 8B.23: Megaliths of Carnac and of the shores of Morbihan (France). UNESCO World Heritage Centre.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D69T5WW2KYD/decision-47-com-8b-23-megaliths-of-carnac-and-of-the-shores)cited 4 times here**SRC** 0D69T5WW2KYD 1. 3.[Bruniaux, G., Mathé, V., Agogué, O. et al. 2026. Multi-Method Geophysical Surveys Between and Around the Kerlescan and the Manio Megalithic Alignments in Carnac (Morbihan, France). Archaeological Prospection 33, 499–517.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D69T5D842FM/multi-method-geophysical-surveys-between-and-around-the)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1002/arp.70036)cited 7 times here**SRC** 0D69T5D842FM 1. 4.[Schulz Paulsson, B. 2019. Radiocarbon dates and Bayesian modeling support maritime diffusion model for megaliths in Europe. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116, 3460–3465.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D69T3YC3GDJ/radiocarbon-dates-and-bayesian-modeling-support-maritime)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1813268116)cited 4 times here**SRC** 0D69T3YC3GDJ 1. 5.[Thom, A., Thom, A. 1972. The Carnac Alignments. Journal for the History of Astronomy 3, 11–26.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D69T4660AKZ/the-carnac-alignments)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1177/002182867200300103)cited 9 times here**SRC** 0D69T4660AKZ 1. 6.[Thom, A., Thom, A. 1974. The Kermario Alignments. Journal for the History of Astronomy 5, 30–47.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D69T4E007ZM/the-kermario-alignments)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1177/002182867400500104)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0D69T4E007ZM 1. 7.[Mens, E. 2008. Refitting megaliths in western France. Antiquity 82, 25–36.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D69T5N23TCR/refitting-megaliths-in-western-france)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003598X00096411)cited 3 times here**SRC** 0D69T5N23TCR 1. 8.[The Local France 2023. French prosecutors open investigation into destruction of Carnac's prehistoric stones. The Local (France).](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D69T64P5W1T/french-prosecutors-open-investigation-into-destruction-of)cited 3 times here**SRC** 0D69T64P5W1T 1. 9.[Thom, A., Thom, A. 1971. The Astronomical Significance of the Large Carnac Menhirs. Journal for the History of Astronomy 2, 147–160.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D69T4XM4Y38/the-astronomical-significance-of-the-large-carnac-menhirs)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1177/002182867100200301)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0D69T4XM4Y38 1. 10.[Thom, A., Thom, A., Gorrie, J. 1976. The Two Megalithic Lunar Observatories at Carnac. Journal for the History of Astronomy 7, 11–26.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D69T4NT59NN/the-two-megalithic-lunar-observatories-at-carnac)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1177/002182867600700102)cited 3 times here**SRC** 0D69T4NT59NN 1. 11.[Scarre, C. 2011. The Carnac Landscape. Landscapes of Neolithic Brittany (Oxford University Press), 103–134.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D69T55E5DZX/the-carnac-landscape)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199281626.003.0005)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0D69T55E5DZX 1. 12.[Institut national de l'information géographique et forestière (IGN) 2026. Nuages de points LiDAR HD. data.gouv.fr.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D69T6CG6A4R/nuages-de-points-lidar-hd)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0D69T6CG6A4R 1. 13.[Cambry, J. 1805. Monumens celtiques, ou recherches sur le culte des pierres, précédées d'une notice sur les Celtes et sur les Druides. Johanneau, Paris.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D69T6W46TXA/monumens-celtiques-ou-recherches-sur-le-culte-des-pierres)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0D69T6W46TXA 1. 14.[Hadingham, E. 1981. The lunar observatory hypothesis at Carnac: a reconsideration. Antiquity 55(213), 35–42.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D69T73Y1WZ7/the-lunar-observatory-hypothesis-at-carnac-a-reconsideration)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003598X0004360X)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0D69T73Y1WZ7 Last edited 27 Oct 2026