Megalithic lexicon
Menhirs, cromlechs, dolmens, tumulus, cairns, alignments and more. This highly specific vocabulary refers to different types of stone construction. Each corresponds to a particular form, use or meaning.
Discover the world of megalithism to better understand them. Soon, these monuments will hold no more secrets for you! Find all hiking trails to discover them on foot or by bike. The illustrated discovery map of the megaliths of Carnac and the banks of the Morbihan, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is available free of charge from tourist offices.
Menhir or stele
From Breton toal = table, an doal = a table and men (or maen) = stone
Stone placed in a vertical position by human intervention. When menhirs are arranged in several lines, we speak of an alignment, and when they are arranged in an arc of a circle, we speak of a cromlech (or megalithic enclosure). These upright stones form the alignments at Carnac and Erdeven, for example.
Megalith
From Greek "mega" = large and "litho" = stone
Monument built of one or more large stones, such as menhirs or dolmens. Literally "large stone" in ancient Greek. Megaliths can stand alone or in groups aligned over several kilometers.
Alignment
From Latin stela
Standing stones aligned in one or more lines. Menhirs are placed, more or less regularly, along one or more axes. Large groups of alignments can be found at Carnac (Ménec, Kermario and Kerlescan) and Erdeven (Kerzerho).
Dolmen
From Latin tumere = to be swollen; elevation, eminence; plural: tumuli
Wall and roof stones, forming a corridor and burial chamber. A dolmen represents the archaeological remains of a larger Neolithic monument: in fact, they were always covered by a tumulus. Discover the Crucuno dolmen in Plouharnel and its burial chamber covered by a 40-ton slab weighing almost
resting on 9 pillars.
Tumulus
From Breton toal = table, an doal = a table and men (or maen) = stone
Construction of earth and stones covering an accessible or inaccessible burial space. When a tumulus is made of earth, it's called a tertre, and when it's made of stone, it's called a cairn. In Locmariaquer, you can discover the Er Grah tumulus, 140m long and 30m wide. In Carnac, reach the 12m-high Saint-Michel tumulus for a 360° view of Quiberon Bay and the offshore islands on a clear day.
Cairn
From the Gaelic carn, meaning "heap of stone".
These monuments are built of large stacked stones, forming solid walls to protect one or more graves (=dolmens). In Locmariaquer, La Table des Marchands is an ancient burial chamber covered by a cairn, a pile of stones without mortar: a Neolithic tomb with a 7 m-long corridor, a burial chamber and a remarkable engraved ensemble. Located on private property but open to the public, the Cairn de Kercado in Carnac is one of the few dolmens in Brittany to have remained under its original cairn. Located to the south of the Kermario alignments, it is 30m in diameter and 5m high. It is topped by a small menhir.
Cromlech
From the English word borrowed from Old Welsh: crom = curved, bent, twisted and lech = flat stone.
Cromlech (sometimes written cromlec'h) is a colloquial term for circular enclosures of standing stones. The village of Le Ménec, west of Carnac, was built within an enclosure of 71 almost contiguous blocks. A second cromlech is located at the eastern end of the Ménec site.
Megalithic enclosure
Enclosures are groups of stones placed in an arc, often in the shape of a circle, semicircle, quadrilateral or horseshoe. They vary in size and shape. The Kerbourgnec enclosure can be found in Saint-Pierre Quiberon.