Carnac Stones, Brittany, France - Kermario standing stones - 1978 postcard

Postcard
• Picture / Image:  Les alignements megalithiques de Kermaio, Carnac, Bretagne (Brittany), France
• Publisher:  Belles Editions de Bretagne
• Postally used:  yes
• Stamp:  1f green defin.
• Postmark(s):  Carmarque 1978
• Sent to:  Brill, Aylesbury, England
• Notes / condition: 

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Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

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The Carnac stones are an exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites around the French village of Carnac, in Brittany, consisting of alignments, dolmens, tumuli and single menhirs. More than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones were hewn from local rock and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany, and are the largest such collection in the world.^[1] Most of the stones are within the Breton village of Carnac, but some to the east are within La Trinité-sur-Mer. The stones were erected at some stage during the Neolithic period, probably around 3300 BC, but some may date to as old as 4500 BC.^[2]

Although the stones date from 4500 BC, modern myths were formed which resulted from 1st century AD Roman and later Christian occupations, such as Saint Cornelius^[3] – a Christian myth associated with the stones held that they were pagan soldiers in pursuit of Pope Cornelius when he turned them to stone.^[4][5][6] Brittany has its own local versions of the Arthurian cycle. Local tradition claims that the reason they stand in such perfectly straight lines is that they are a Roman legion turned to stone by Merlin.

In recent centuries, many of the sites have been neglected, with reports of dolmens being used as sheep shelters, chicken sheds or even ovens.^[7] Even more commonly, stones have been removed to make way for roads, or as building materials. The continuing management of the sites remains a controversial topic.^[1][8]

Eleven converging rows of menhirs stretching for 1,165 by 100 metres (3,822 by 330 feet). There is what Alexander Thom considered to be the remains of stone circles at either end. According to the tourist office there is a ""cromlech containing 71 stone blocks"" at the western end and a very ruined cromlech at the eastern end. The largest stones, around 4 metres (13 feet) high, are at the wider, western end; the stones then become as small as 0.6 metres (2 foot 0 inches) high along the length of the alignment before growing in height again toward the extreme eastern end.

Kermario alignment

This fan-like layout recurs a little further along to the east in the Kermario (House of the Dead)^[9] alignment. It consists of 1029 stones^[10] in ten columns, about 1,300 m (4,300 ft) in length.^{[citation needed]} A stone circle to the east end, where the stones are shorter, was revealed by aerial photography.^[11]

type=printed postcards

theme=topographical: rest of the world

sub-theme=europe

county/ country=france

number of items=single

period=1945 - present

postage condition=posted