Dozens of prehistoric standing stones in Carnac, south-west France, have been removed to make way for a retail store. Debate rages among historians, politicians and cultural authorities as to whether this constitutes damage to a site of archaeological value.
“The site has been destroyed,” said local archaeologist Christian Obeltz. AFP June 7.
According to Obelitz, some 39 standing stones, the term for such standing stones, measuring up to 40 inches high, were lost. They are estimated to be around 7,000 years old, based on carbon dating carried out in 2010.
The town hall issued a building permit in August 2022 for the establishment of a store of the Mr. Bricolage chain, which sells DIY and DIY items, and there is a store under construction, according to AFP.
Isabelle Chardonnier, director of the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs of Brittany, tried to “clarify the reality”, by telling News in France that only four of the 39 stones had potential archaeological value. As for the 39 valuables destroyed, she said, “the reality is absolutely not that.” The office said some of the standing stones had already been moved, meaning it was not a historic arrangement.
Mayor Olivier Lepick said AFP that he respected the law and that inspections had found objects of “low archaeological value”. The land in question is not a protected archaeological site, although it is close to one.
For his part, Obeltz believes local authorities failed to do their due diligence. “There have been no archaeological digs to find out whether the stones were menhirs or not,” he said. AFP.
Éric Zemmour, far-right politician tweeted Thursday that ancient stones had been “massacred”.
Carnac in Brittany is known for its large fields of megaliths, around 3,000 of which stand in two protected areas that stretch for around six kilometres. The exact purpose of the menhirs is unknown. Some theories suggest sacred or funerary purposes.
In any case, according to the regional management: “Damage to a site of archaeological value has not been established.
The Mr. Bricolage group told AFP that he “sincerely regretted the situation”.
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