Locmariaquer megaliths facts for kids
The Locmariaquer megaliths are a group of amazing ancient stone structures. You can find them in Locmariaquer, a town in Brittany, France. These huge stone monuments were built by people during the New Stone Age. They include a big burial mound called the Er-Grah tumulus. There's also a stone tomb known as the Table des Marchand. And don't forget "The Broken Menhir of Er Grah"! This was the biggest single stone ever moved and stood up by people in the Stone Age.
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The Mystery of the Broken Menhir
Imagine a giant stone, taller than a five-story building! That's how big the Broken Menhir of Er Grah was. It was put up around 4700 BC, along with 18 other huge stones. This amazing menhir (a tall standing stone) was broken about 700 years later, around 4000 BC.
This massive stone is about 20.6 meters (67 feet) tall. It weighs an incredible 330 tons! That's like 55 elephants! The stone came from a rocky area several kilometers away. How did ancient people move and stand up such a huge stone without modern machines? It's still a big mystery for experts today!
The stone has a carving on its surface. It looks like a "hatchet-plough," which was a tool used for farming. Sadly, this carving is very worn down now and hard to see.
Why Did the Menhir Break?
No one knows for sure why this giant stone fell and broke into four pieces. For a while, some thought it had never stood up. But archaeologists have found proof that it definitely did.
One popular idea is that people deliberately pulled it down. Other big stones nearby were also moved and used to build tombs. Another idea, which some archaeologists now prefer, is that an earthquake or strong tremor caused it to fall. Computer models even support this theory!
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Grand Menhir
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Grand Menhir
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Grand Menhir
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Grand Menhir and Table des Marchand
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The Broken Menhir seen from the tumulus of Er Grah
The Table des Marchand Dolmen
The Table des Marchand is a large dolmen. A dolmen is a type of ancient stone tomb or monument. This one has many interesting carvings inside.
One of the main stones forming the roof of the chamber has a huge carving. It shows an axe and part of a plough, which looks like it was pulled by oxen. This carving is very important! It matches carvings on the Broken Menhir. This tells us that this roof stone was once part of the giant broken menhir! Other pieces of the broken menhir were used in the nearby tumulus (burial mound) and in another dolmen on an island called Gavrinis.
The stone at the back of the chamber also has carvings. These are swirling patterns and arched shapes. They might represent fields of crops.
For a long time, this dolmen was open to the sky. But in 1993, archaeologists rebuilt it inside a stone mound called a cairn. This helped protect the ancient carvings and made it look more like it did long ago.
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Table des Marchand
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Table des Marchand, entrance corridor
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Interior of the Table des Marchand
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Engraving on the Table des Marchand ceiling
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Table des Marchand, interior
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Table des Marchand
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The Er-Grah Tumulus
The Er-Grah tumulus is a very long burial mound, stretching about 140 meters (460 feet). It was likely first built around 5000 BC as a cairn (a mound of stones). Over time, it was made even bigger in both directions. A paved area surrounded its stepped shape. The monument was probably finished around 3300 BC.
Archaeologists found something interesting in front of the tumulus. They discovered the bones of two domesticated cattle in a pit. This suggests that people might have kept cattle in this area as early as 6000-5000 BC.
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See also
- Carnac Stones
- List of megalithic sites
- Official website: http://www.site-megalithique-locmariaquer.fr/en/
- Prehistoric Europe
- Neolithic Europe
