Outcry in Brittany as megalithic standing stones cleared for construction of DIY store

Around 40 standing stones thought to have been erected by prehistoric humans 7,000 years ago have been destroyed near the famed Carnac archaeological site in Brittany to make way for a DIY store. 

The 7,000-year-old Megalithic standing stones in Carnac, Brittany. Associated Press - FRANCK PREVEL

The stones in Carnac were reportedly between 50-100 centimetres high and stood close to the main highly protected area aorund one of Europe's largest and most mysterious pre-historic tourist attractions.

According to local archaeologist Christian Obeltz, "The site has been destroyed," having revealed the clearance of the land in the Ouest-France newspaper. 

Obeltz believes 39 standing stones – known as menhirs – have been lost, estimating their age to be around 7,000 years based on carbon dating conducted on stones nearby in 2010. 

Je dédie ce communiqué de presse de la DRAC et des services archéologiques à tous ceux qui savaient, salissaient, insultaient, y compris mon épouse et mes enfants, sur les réseaux sociaux sans rien savoir d’un dossier moins simple qu’il n’y paraissait. pic.twitter.com/XzgoY8z7uL

— Olivier Lepick (@OlivierLepick) June 7, 2023

Carnac mayor 'followed the law'

The land was granted a building permit from the local mayor's office in August last year and the DIY chain Mr. Bricolage is currently building a new store there.

Local mayor Olivier Lepick maintains that he had "followed the law" and pointed to the "low archaeological value" of objects found during checks before the construction process began.

The land was not situated in a protected area and had been earmarked for commercial use, he added.

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Carnac is famed for its vast fields of stone megaliths which stand in long lines close to the Atlantic coast in the windswept Brittany region.

There are around 3,000 of them on the two main protected areas which extend over more than six kilometres. 

The stones are thought to have had a sacred and funereal function, although various theories exist.

Menhirs détruits à Carnac : selon la Drac, « la valeur archéologique n’est pas établie » https://t.co/71AffDy7SJ

— Ouest-France (@OuestFrance) June 7, 2023

Playing down the losses

The Regional Office of Cultural Affairs (DRAC) for Brittany – which is responsible for ensuring the law protecting cultural monuments is respected – has played down the importance of the losses.

"Given the uncertain and in any case non-major character of the remains, as revealed by checks, damage to a site of archaeological value has not been established," it said in a statement on Wednesday.

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But local archaeologist Obeltz believes local authorities failed to properly investigate.

"There weren't archaeological excavations in order to know if the stones were menhirs or not," he said.

The Mr. Bricolage group has reportedly said it "sincerely regretted the situation" but pointed to authorisations for its store granted last year.