The archaeological value of the menhirs destroyed in Carnac remains "in suspense"

"The question will remain in abeyance" for lack of additional excavations, deplores a researcher close to the file who wishes to remain anonymous.

Thirty-nine small menhirs, between 50 cm and one meter high, were recently destroyed during the construction site of a DIY store.

Their demolition was revealed on June 2 by an amateur archaeologist, Christian Obeltz, on his blog, arousing a great stir at a time when the alignments of menhirs in southern Morbihan are preparing to apply to enter the world heritage of Unesco.

"Several brutal developments have been carried out, this winter and spring, around the alignments of menhirs of Carnac, distorting this world-famous site", he denounces.

The heritage enthusiast expressed regret at the destruction of a site which, "even modest", nevertheless illustrated "the structuring of the territory from the Neolithic period".

In December 2014, a first application for a building permit was filed.

The land, located in an "activity zone" according to the local urban plan (PLU), was then the subject of excavations by the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap), which had ended "on a contradictory statement.

Two rows of stone blocks, inserted in two old fences covered with coppice, are unearthed.

To reveal them, eight trenches three meters wide had been dug on this land partially cluttered with various waste, rubble and thickets.

"Only additional observations on the monoliths, or even an excavation, would make it possible to certify the Neolithic origin of this set", detailed the archaeological organization in its report published in April 2015.

"Hard to date"

The Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (Drac) of Brittany told AFP on Thursday that it had at the time "issued an excavation prescription to the promoter" that the latter "did not implement".

Reacting to the emotion aroused by this destruction, the Drac also underlined in a press release the "still uncertain and in any case not major character of the remains" found during the preventive excavations of 2015.

“The attack on a site with archaeological value is not established”, defended the Drac, adding that it “is not listed among the areas of archaeological presumption, that is to say say the areas that justify an opinion from the regional archaeological service".

The mayor, Olivier Lepick, attests for his part to having "perfectly respected the legislation" and also invokes "the low archaeological value" of the objects found.

Contacted, the management of the DIY brand "sincerely regrets this situation" and adds that "the Departmental Commission for Commercial Development (Cdac) of Morbihan has given its agreement for commercial operation in January 2022".

An association for the defense of heritage, Koun Breizh ("Breton memory", in Breton), announced that it had filed a complaint against X.

The amateur archaeologist Christian Obeltz assures him that "the small menhirs of the Chemin de Montauban undoubtedly constituted one of the oldest sets of steles in the town of Carnac".

According to him, these menhirs could date from the same period as the remains of a nearby site whose carbon 14 dating obtained in 2010 goes back to "5480-5320 BC, the highest dating obtained for a menhir. in the West of France".

On this dating, Philippe Gouézin, doctor in archeology and archaeometry at the University of Rennes, is cautious.

"It is difficult to date elements and it all depends on what can be found: carbon 14, bones, hazelnuts or berries trapped in specific conditions, all well buried in the ground", deciphers-t he for AFP.

And this dating would have required a scientific analysis beyond the preventive diagnosis which consists of "surveys or tracking", explains the expert.