Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Brittany, France has an insane amount of megalithic sites, probably the most famous of which is the Carnac alignments made up of thousands of standing stones. But what’s interesting is that during the Neolithic the sea level around Brittany was much lower than it is today, so many megalithic sites are submerged. Archaeological surveys and excavations over the years have revealed a rich history of megalithic construction, some of which is still visible, some of which is submerged and some of which is known only from digs.
In this video I discuss some amazing megalithic sites in Brittany including several submerged structures, the tallest menhir and an elaborately decorated passage tomb. I also look at some carved slabs in three tombs in the Gulf of Morbihan that, it appears, once made up an earlier 14-metre-high menhir. Join me as I take a look at just a few of the sites that make up megalithic Brittany.
#ancienthistory #archaeology #megalithic
✨ IN THIS EPISODE
00:00 Brittany’s Megalithic Landscape: A Stone-Packed Mystery
01:22 Lost Beneath the Waves: Submerged Megaliths
07:31 The Giants of Locmariaquer
10:06 Inside the Gavrinis Passage Tomb
✨ JOIN MY CHANNEL
youtube.com/channel/UC0Hs5t0U6Uf993Tba22YmKA/join
✨ FOLLOW ME ON SOCIALS
BlueSky: @MegalithHunter.bsky.social
✨ REFERENCES
Billard, C., Daire, M.Y., Martin, C., Billaud, Y., Bizien-Jaglin, C., Chancerel, A., Cliquet, D., Fourment, N., Gandois, H., Huet, B. and Laforge, M., 2020. France: submerged prehistory on Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. In The Archaeology of Europe’s Drowned Landscapes (pp. 249-280). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Blanchard, A., Guyodo, J.N., Paulsson, B.S. and Montassier, F., 2025. Le Plasker in Plouharnel (fifth millennium cal BC): a newly discovered section of the megalithic complex of Carnac. Antiquity, pp.1-20.
LOPEZ‐ROMERO GONZALEZ DE LA ALEJA, E.L.I.A.S., 2008. Characterizing the evolution of visual landscapes in the Late Prehistory of South‐West Morbihan (Brittany, France). Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 27(3), pp.217-239.
https://archeologie.culture.gouv.fr/megalithes/en/sea-level-and-shoreline#:~:text=The rise of the sea,today when they were erected.
https://www.site-megalithique-locmariaquer.fr/en/discover/the-great-broken-menhir
megalithes-morbihan.com/the-sites/kerbourgnec-stone-rows.html
cairndegavrinis.com/en/home
✨ PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS
Google Earth
Locations
CC BY 4.0 DEED creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Images related to the paper referenced above.
Drawing of the Mesolithic hut, credit: Blanchard, A., et al., in the paper referenced above.
CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Er Lannic stone circles, credit: MFonzatti
Er Lannic stone circles with the Gavrinis Passage Tomb in background, credit: Pierre F631
Drawing of the missing Locmariaquer menhirs, credit: Kenny Arne Lang Antonsen
Er-Grah tumulus, credit: Moreau.henri
Cup marks at Ballochmyle in Scotland, credit: Rosser1954
Kerbourgnec alignments, credit: Antoine Guillas
Menhir du Salver-er-Bed, credit: Lyokoï88
Menhir de Kelhuit, credit: Aeroceanaute
Gavrinis Passage Tomb, credit: Pierre F631
Replica of the decorated passage in the Gavrinis Passage Tomb, credit: Ismoon
E
CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Dolmen de Kerlud, credit: Poulpy
Saint-Michel tumulus, credit: Lionel Allorge
The Ménec alignments at Carnac, credit: Steffen Heilfort
Kerlescan alignement at Carnac, credit: Myrabella
Table des Marchand,cBurial Chamber, credit: Myrabella
Le Grand Menhir Brisé, credit: Myrabella
Petit-Ménec alignments, credit: Poulpy
Table des Marchand, credit: Myrabella
Engraving on the Table des Marchand ceiling, credit: Myrabella
Replica of the carvings in the Gavrinis Passage Tomb, credit: Athinaios
Menhir de Kerloas, credit: Gerhard Haubold
Newgrange carvings, credit: Johnbod
Er Lannic Cromlech with partially submerged and submerged stones in foreground, credit: Sémhur
Public domain
Broken Menhir of Er Grand from another angle
CC BY 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Fort St. Angelo, credit: Joseolgon
CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Coat of arms of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, credit: Mathieu Chaine
Map of the Mediterranean, credit: Nzeemin
CC BY-SA 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Cyrene, credit: joepyrek
Temple of Zeus at Cyrene, credit: joepyrek
Calypso Cave, credit: Carole Raddato
Brittany, France has an insane amount of megalithic sites, probably the most famous of which is the Carnac alignments made up of thousands of standing stones. But what’s interesting is that during the Neolithic the sea level around Brittany was much lower than it is today, so many megalithic sites are submerged. Archaeological surveys and excavations over the years have revealed a rich history of megalithic construction, some of which is still visible, some of which is submerged and some of which is known only from digs.
In this video I discuss some amazing megalithic sites in Brittany including several submerged structures, the tallest menhir and an elaborately decorated passage tomb. I also look at some carved slabs in three tombs in the Gulf of Morbihan that, it appears, once made up an earlier 14-metre-high menhir. Join me as I take a look at just a few of the sites that make up megalithic Brittany.
#ancienthistory #archaeology #megalithic
✨ IN THIS EPISODE
00:00 Brittany’s Megalithic Landscape: A Stone-Packed Mystery
01:22 Lost Beneath the Waves: Submerged Megaliths
07:31 The Giants of Locmariaquer
10:06 Inside the Gavrinis Passage Tomb
✨ JOIN MY CHANNEL
youtube.com/channel/UC0Hs5t0U6Uf993Tba22YmKA/join
✨ FOLLOW ME ON SOCIALS
BlueSky: @MegalithHunter.bsky.social
✨ REFERENCES
Billard, C., Daire, M.Y., Martin, C., Billaud, Y., Bizien-Jaglin, C., Chancerel, A., Cliquet, D., Fourment, N., Gandois, H., Huet, B. and Laforge, M., 2020. France: submerged prehistory on Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. In The Archaeology of Europe’s Drowned Landscapes (pp. 249-280). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Blanchard, A., Guyodo, J.N., Paulsson, B.S. and Montassier, F., 2025. Le Plasker in Plouharnel (fifth millennium cal BC): a newly discovered section of the megalithic complex of Carnac. Antiquity, pp.1-20.
LOPEZ‐ROMERO GONZALEZ DE LA ALEJA, E.L.I.A.S., 2008. Characterizing the evolution of visual landscapes in the Late Prehistory of South‐West Morbihan (Brittany, France). Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 27(3), pp.217-239.
https://archeologie.culture.gouv.fr/megalithes/en/sea-level-and-shoreline#:~:text=The rise of the sea,today when they were erected.
https://www.site-megalithique-locmariaquer.fr/en/discover/the-great-broken-menhir
megalithes-morbihan.com/the-sites/kerbourgnec-stone-rows.html
cairndegavrinis.com/en/home
✨ PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS
Google Earth
Locations
CC BY 4.0 DEED creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Images related to the paper referenced above.
Drawing of the Mesolithic hut, credit: Blanchard, A., et al., in the paper referenced above.
CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Er Lannic stone circles, credit: MFonzatti
Er Lannic stone circles with the Gavrinis Passage Tomb in background, credit: Pierre F631
Drawing of the missing Locmariaquer menhirs, credit: Kenny Arne Lang Antonsen
Er-Grah tumulus, credit: Moreau.henri
Cup marks at Ballochmyle in Scotland, credit: Rosser1954
Kerbourgnec alignments, credit: Antoine Guillas
Menhir du Salver-er-Bed, credit: Lyokoï88
Menhir de Kelhuit, credit: Aeroceanaute
Gavrinis Passage Tomb, credit: Pierre F631
Replica of the decorated passage in the Gavrinis Passage Tomb, credit: Ismoon
E
CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Dolmen de Kerlud, credit: Poulpy
Saint-Michel tumulus, credit: Lionel Allorge
The Ménec alignments at Carnac, credit: Steffen Heilfort
Kerlescan alignement at Carnac, credit: Myrabella
Table des Marchand,cBurial Chamber, credit: Myrabella
Le Grand Menhir Brisé, credit: Myrabella
Petit-Ménec alignments, credit: Poulpy
Table des Marchand, credit: Myrabella
Engraving on the Table des Marchand ceiling, credit: Myrabella
Replica of the carvings in the Gavrinis Passage Tomb, credit: Athinaios
Menhir de Kerloas, credit: Gerhard Haubold
Newgrange carvings, credit: Johnbod
Er Lannic Cromlech with partially submerged and submerged stones in foreground, credit: Sémhur
Public domain
Broken Menhir of Er Grand from another angle
CC BY 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Fort St. Angelo, credit: Joseolgon
CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Coat of arms of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, credit: Mathieu Chaine
Map of the Mediterranean, credit: Nzeemin
CC BY-SA 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Cyrene, credit: joepyrek
Temple of Zeus at Cyrene, credit: joepyrek
Calypso Cave, credit: Carole Raddato
