Prehistoric sites in France

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 31. Chapters: Megalithic monuments in France, Carnac stones, Abri de la Madeleine, Locmariaquer, La Marche, Chauvet Cave, Tumulus of Bougon, Grotte du Vallonnet, Barnenez, Gavrinis, Rouffignac Cave, Raymonden, Rochereil, Locmariaquer megaliths, Peyre-Brune, Limeuil, Cave of Niaux, Filitosa, Erdeven, Magdalenian Girl, Gallardet Dolmen, Menhir de Champ-Dolent, Kerzerho, Mane Braz. Excerpt: The Carnac stones are an exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites around the French village of Carnac, in Brittany, consisting of alignments, dolmens, tumuli and single menhirs. The more than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones were hewn from local rock and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany, and are the largest such collection in the world. Local tradition claims that the reason they stand in such perfectly straight lines is that they are a Roman legion turned to stone by Merlin or Saint Cornelius ¿ Brittany has its own local versions of the Arthurian cycle. A Christian legend associated with the stones held that they were pagan soldiers in pursuit of Pope Cornelius when he turned them to stone. Most of the stones are within the Breton village of Carnac, but some to the east are within La Trinité-sur-Mer. The stones were erected at some stage during the Neolithic period, probably around 3300 BC, but some may date to as old as 4500 BC. In recent centuries, many of the sites have been neglected, with reports of dolmens being used as sheep shelters, chicken sheds or even ovens. Even more commonly, stones have been removed to make way for roads, or as building materials. The continuing management of the sites remains a controversial topic. There are three major groups of stone rows ¿ Ménec, Kermario and Kerlescan ¿ which may have once formed a single group, but have been split up as stones were removed for other purposes. Ménec alignment Stones in the Ménec alignmentEleven converging rows of menhirs stretching for 1,165 by 100 metres (3,822 by 330 ft). There is what Alexander Thom considered to be the remains of stone circles at either end. According to the tourist office there is a "cromlech containing 71 stone blocks" at the western end and a very ruined cromlech at the eastern end. The largest stones, around 4 metres (13 ft) high, are at the wider, western end; the stones then become as small as 0.6 metres (2 ft 0 in) high along the length of the a