Deux menhirs
MonumentHidden Treasure
Deux menhirs, located in Carnac (Département 56), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Carnac, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.5929, -3.0878
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091118
Deux sentinelles de granit dressées depuis le Néolithique au cœur du pays carnacéen, ces menhirs classés Monument Historique témoignent de la spiritualité mystérieuse des premiers bâtisseurs de mégalithes bretons.
History
In the heart of Carnac, a village world-famous for its megalithic alignments, two isolated menhirs stand like silent witnesses to a civilisation that disappeared over five thousand years ago. Set in a Breton landscape shaped by granite and moorland, these vertical monoliths are part of the largest concentration of megaliths in the world, making Carnac an exceptional archaeological site. What sets these two menhirs apart from the mass of some three thousand standing stones in the Carnac region is precisely their existence as a pair. Far from the spectacle of the great rows of alignments, they invite a more intimate, more direct contemplation. Each monolith, carved from the local coarse-grained granite characteristic of the Armorican Massif, bears the memory of a considerable collective effort: extraction, transport and erection by Neolithic communities whose social organisation is only beginning to be better understood. The experience of visiting these two standing stones is striking in its simplicity. At dawn or dusk, when the low-angled light brings out the crevices and the orange lichens that colonise their surface, the menhirs seem to emerge from time immemorial. The geologists and archaeologists who have studied them can sometimes make out traces of careful polishing on their sides, an indication that there is nothing random about the way these monoliths were fashioned. Their presence is amplified by the Carnac setting: the low moorland, the oak trees twisted by the sea wind and the fields of purple heather in autumn form a natural backdrop that the Neolithic builders themselves would not have denied. Nearby, the great alignments of Ménec, Kermario and Kerlescan are a reminder that these two menhirs are part of a sacred area of prime importance, listed and protected since 1931.
Architecture
These two menhirs belong to the category of raised monoliths, rough or slightly shaped stones planted vertically in the ground by Armorican Neolithic societies. Carved from the coarse-grained granite of the Armorican Massif - a rock that is particularly resistant to erosion, which explains its remarkable preservation - they have the characteristic tapered profile of Carnacan menhirs: wider at the base, they gradually taper towards a rounded or slightly pointed top. The surface of the shafts, initially pitted and partially polished when they were erected, is now colonised by grey, black and orange crustaceous lichens, which bear witness to their age and contribute to their timeless, mineral appearance. Subtle micro-reliefs, sometimes interpreted as schematic representations of polished axes or crooks - recurring signs in Armorican megalithic art - can be seen on certain faces depending on the lighting conditions. Their pairing is characteristic of a Neolithic practice documented throughout Brittany: paired menhirs often mark the symbolic entrance to a ritual space or the materialisation of a couple in Neolithic cosmogonies. The distance between them, their respective orientations and any differences in height are all valuable archaeological clues to understanding the original intention of their builders.
Related Figures
Zacharie Le Rouzic — archéologue carnacéen (1864-1939), inventaire et protection des mégalithes de CarnacJames Miln — érudit écossais (1819-1881), premiers relevés scientifiques des monuments de CarnacAlexander Thom — astronome et ingénieur (1894-1985), théories sur les alignements astronomiques des mégalithes bretonsProsper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques (1803-1870), initiateur des premières politiques de protection du patrimoine mégalithiqueJean-Marie Le Rouzic — continuateur du travail de son père Zacharie, gestionnaire du musée de Préhistoire de Carnac
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Deux menhirs located?
Deux menhirs is located in Carnac, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
Is Deux menhirs open to visitors?
Deux menhirs is currently closed to visitors.
