Broken Menhir of Er Grah

Broken Menhir of Er Grah

The Broken Menhir of Er Grah is an ancient megalith in Locmariaquer, Brittany. Erected around 4700 BC, at the same time as another 18 blocks nearby, it is thought to have been broken around 4000 BC. The monument is the largest known single block of stone to have been transported and erected by Neolithic man.

Measuring 20.60m, with a weight of 280 tonnes, the stone is from a rocky outcrop located several kilometres away from Locmariaquer. The impressive dimensions of this menhir still divide specialists about the techniques used for transport and erection, but the fact that this was achieved during the Neolithic era remains remarkable.

Worked over its entire surface, the monument bears a sculpture representing a "hatchet-plough". Unfortunately today this is seriously eroded and very difficult to see.

Destruction

It is not known what caused the menhir to topple and break into the four pieces that are now to be seen. At one time it was believed that the stone had never stood upright, but archaeological findings have proved that it did. The most popular theory is that the stone was deliberately pulled down and broken. Certainly other menhirs that accompanied it were removed and reused in the construction of tombs and dolmens nearby. However, in recent years, some archaeologists have favoured the explanation of an earthquake or tremor, and this theory is supported by a computer model.

Bibliography

* Charles-Tanguy Le Roux, Éric Gaumé, Yannick Lecerf, Jean-Yves Tinevez, "Monuments mégalithiques à Locmariaquer (Morbihan): Le long tumulus d'Er Grah dans son environnement", CNRS éditions, 2007, ISBN2-2710-6490-2


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Menhir — Large menhir located between Millstreet and Ballinagree, County Cork, Ireland. A menhir (French, from Middle Breton : men, stone + hir, long[1]) is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a… …   Wikipedia

  • Megalith — Megalithic tomb, Mane Braz, Brittany …   Wikipedia

  • Locmariaquer — French commune nomcommune=Locmariaquer native name=Lokmaria Kaer caption=General view of the harbour x = 41 y = 104 lat long=coord|47|34|12|N|2|56|39|W|region:FR type:city région=Bretagne département=Morbihan arrondissement=Lorient canton=Auray… …   Wikipedia

  • Jersey Dolmens — In 1785 part of Le Mont de la Ville was levelled as a parade ground, which led to the discovery of a dolmen which the Vingtaine de la Ville presented to the Lieutenant Governor of Jersey, Marshal Conway, who subsequently transported it to his… …   Wikipedia

  • Carnac stones — The Ménec alignments, the most well known megalithic site amongst the Carnac stones …   Wikipedia

  • Bronze Horseman — This article is about the statue. For the poem by Aleksandr Pushkin, see The Bronze Horseman (poem). For the novel by Paullina Simons, see The Bronze Horseman (novel). The Bronze Horseman The Bronze Horseman (Russian: Медный всадник, literally… …   Wikipedia

  • Almendres Cromlech — Coordinates: 38°33′26.91″N 8°3′40.03″W / 38.557475°N 8.0611194°W / 38.557475; 8.0611194 …   Wikipedia

  • Duloe stone circle — Location: Duloe, Cornwall Coordinates …   Wikipedia

  • Dolmen — For the French TV miniseries, see Dolmen (TV miniseries). Not to be confused with dolman, an article of clothing. Circassian dolmen near the Zhane river, Russia …   Wikipedia

  • Drizzlecombe — The archaeology of Drizzlecombe Click to see the whole map Drizzl …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”