Standing stones

The Grand-Menhir at Locmariaquer illustrates the fact that a single stone may be the only monolith left from a much more complex group. A lot of caution is therefore required when trying to interpret such a monument.

The main categories of menhirs and steles in Brittany are:

• lone stones;
• pairs of standing stones. The distance between the stones varies from a few meters to several tens of meters. The stones are either of similar height or, on the contrary, very different (for instance the duo de Kerderff at Carnac).
• alignments (for instance, the "du Moulin" group at Plouharnel, or the one related to the Grand-Menhir at Locmariaquer);
• stone enclosures, which can be either circular (Er-Lannic or the Ile-aux-Moines), or quadrangular (Crucuno). The stones are spaced out or contiguous. The enclosure can be more or less open and sometimes has no well defined entrance;
• complex groups comprising several lines or even associating lines and standing stones. Such complex layouts are best illustrated by the large groups of standing stones at Carnac and Erdeven