French Menhirs.

Although the largest known French menhir (Le Grand Menhir Brisé) in Morbihan, has now fallen, France still possesses several of the best standing menhirs in the world. They are a tribute to the builders skill and mind over matter.

Other possible French menhirs include the following:

Le Grand Menhir Brisé - At over 20m high this was once the largest standing stone in Europe, but archaeology has now shown it to be the last extant stone of a stone-alignment, with another 18 other pits still visible in a row leading towards Le Grand Menhir (see below). It is believed for several reasons, that the structure was once used as a lunar back-sight, involving other prominent sites in the area. and would have once been able to accurately measure the moons 18.6 year cycle.

The missing stones: The original monument (as seen below), was constructed at around 4,000BC. It was destroyed around a thousand years later and the stones were re-used for new constructions in the area. It is suspected that the cap-stones for the Table-des-Marchands, Gavr'inis and Er-Lannic tumulii are all parts of an original menhir from the construction.

The location, and  size of the other missing stones are a matter of speculation but it is interesting to note that there are several other large stones in the surrounding countryside, the original purpose and location of which, have been shown to have changed, in certain examples, offering the tantalising possibility that (some of) these other stones were the missing ones from the Morbihan monument.

(More about the Morbihan menhirs)

Menhirs are found in all countries which abound in megalithic structures. In France over 1600 isolated examples have been recorded, of which about the half, and by far the most remarkable, are within the five departments which constitute Brittany. Over the rest of France they are generally small, and not to be compared in size to those of Brittany. At Locmariaquer, Morbihan, is the largest menhir in the world. It was in the form of a smooth-sided Obelisk, but now lies on the ground broken into four fragments, the aggregate length of which amounts to 20.50 metres (about 67 ft.). It was made of granite foreign to the neighbourhood, and its weight, according to the most recent calculations, amounted to 347,53 1 kilogrammes, or 342 tons (L'Homme, 188 5, p. 1 93). The next largest menhir is at Plesidy (Cotes-du-Nord)), measuring about 37 ft. in height. Then follows a list of sixty-seven gradually diminishing to 16 ft. in height of which the first ten (all above 26 ft.) are in Brittany. As regards form these menhirs vary greatly. Some are cylindrical, as the well-known Pierre de champ-Dolent at Dol (height 30 ft.), and that of Cadiou in Finistere (28 ft.); while that of Penmarch (26 ft.) takes the shape of a partially expanded fan. A menhir of quartz at Medreac (Ille-et-Vilaine) stands 162 ft. high in the form of a rectangular pillar indubitablement taille.

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Menhir Facts - It was common practice with large European menhirs\standing-stones to shape the bottom end of the stone into a 'keel' as seen in the photo (right), of Le Grand Menhir Brisé in France.

Features such as this are a tribute to the advanced understanding of engineering possessed by the megalithic builders.

(Other examples of 'Extreme prehistoric masonry')