Sites in France are listed in their départements which are roughly equivalent to English counties.
The only exception to this is the région of Brittany, which is subdivided into its départements of Côtes-d'Armor, Ille-et-Vilaine, Morbihan and Finistère.
Evidence of Europe’s first Homo sapiens found in French cave
Stone artefacts and tooth pre-date the earliest known evidence of the species in Europe by more than 10,000 years.
Archaeologists have found evidence that Europe’s first Homo sapiens lived briefly in a rock shelter in southern France — before mysteriously vanishing... continues...
Oldest ever piece of string was made by Neanderthals 50,000 years ago
By Michael Le Page
A piece of 50,000-year-old string found in a cave in France is the oldest ever discovered. It suggests that Neanderthals knew how to twist fibres together to make cords – and, if so, they might have been able to craft ropes, clothes, bags and nets... continues...
Neanderthal footprints found in France offer snapshot of their lives
Scientists find 257 prints that were preserved in wind-driven sand 80,000 years ago
Scientists have found hundreds of perfectly preserved footprints, providing evidence that Neanderthals walked the Normandy coast in France... continues...
Possibly Neanderthal cave structures in the Pyrenees
300 meters from the surface, circles of broken-off stalagmites stacked against each other, dated at 176,000 years old. There's a nice 3-D rendering in Nature and a nice photo in The Atlantic.
In France, as in England, and indeed most countries [Stones] are usually connected in the popular belief with fairies or with demons - and in England, with Robin Hood. In France this latter personage is replaced by Gargantua, a name made generally celebrated by the extraordinary romance of Rabelais. A cromlech near the village of Toury, in Britany, is called Gargantua's stone; a not uncommon name for the single stone or menhir is palet de Gargantua (Gargantua's quoit).
A very common name for cromlechs among the peasantry of France is fairies' tables, or devils' tables, and in one or two instances they have obtained the name of Caesar's table; the covered alleys, or more complicated cromlechs, are similarly named fairies; grottos, or fairy rocks. The single stones are sometimes called fairies' or devils' seats.
The prohibition to worship stones occurring so frequently in the earlier Christian ecclesiastical laws and ordinances, relates no doubt to these druidical monuments, and was often the cause of their destruction. Traces of this worship still remain.
In some instances people passed through the druidical monuments for trial, or for purification, or as a mode of defensive charm. It is still a practice among the peasantry at Columbiers, in France, for young girls who want husbands, to climb upon the cromlech called the Pierre-levee, place there a piece of money, and then jump down. At Guerande, with the same object, they despose in the crevices of a Celtic monument bits of rose-coloured wool tied with tinsel. The women of Croisic dance round a menhir. It is the popular belief in Anjou that the fairies, as they decended the mountains spinning by the way, brought down the druidical stones in their aprons, and placed them as they are now found.
From Thomas Wright's 'The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon', parts of which are reprinted in a review in The Gentleman's Magazine v.193 1852 Jul-Dec (p233).
Sites in France are listed in their départements which are roughly equivalent to English counties.
The only exception to this is the région of Brittany, which is subdivided into its départements of Côtes-d'Armor, Ille-et-Vilaine, Morbihan and Finistère.
Oppidum (plural oppida) was the name used by Caesar to describe the Celtic towns that he discovered during his conquest of Gaul.
In archaeology, the term is now used to describe all fortified Celtic sites covering a minimum area of 15ha and dating back to the second half of the 2nd and 1st centuries BC (the late La Tène period).
These towns were both economic and political centres. They are considered to be the first towns to the north of the Alps.
This website offers you the opportunity to find out more about each of the oppida via information sheets. For more information, click on an oppidum or go to the themed exhibitions…
For more on Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul in the Gallic Wars, 58 BC to 51 BC.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallic_War for more info on this period of European History
I was suffering from Stone-Fatigue after a week in and around Carnac. I opted to drive for 3 hours to Cairn de Barnenez as a relaxing change. The monument was well sign-posted. The entry fee was a reasonable 6 euros. The epic scale of Cairn de Barnenez was intimidating at first. There are 11 parallel dolmens in the cairn running SE-NW, however all but one of the passages are closed to the public. It took me 45 minutes to fully capture the essence of the monument. Cairn de Barnenez is a recommended visit.
Like Jane, I struggle with the concept of rectangular "Stone Circles". I am conditioned to expect rectangular structures to be modern and stone circles to be ancient. I had the same problem with Quadlatiere du Manio. I left Cromlech de Crucuno with more questions than answers.
Dolmen de Crucuno is very easy to visit. It is situated adjacent to a house in the centre of Crucuno, a hamlet between Plouharnel and Erdeven. You can park 10m away from the monument. These facts don't make Dolmen de Crucuno any less impressive when you are standing beside it. A giant capstone measuring c. 7.5m long and weighing an estimated 40 tons is supported by 9 large orthostats.
Take the Crucuno turn off the D781 at the Toul Siac'h roundabout. After c. 0.8km turn right into a car park in the centre of the village opposite the dolmen.
If you are near Carnac, Dolmens de Rondossec are a must-visit. There are three extensive dolmens in a mound in the centre of Plouharnel. There are numerous capstones on the wide passages and large chambers partially covered by capstones.
From Carnac take the D781 towards Erdeven. Follow the D781 through two roundabouts in Plouharnel then turn right onto Rue Hoche to find the tumulus.
Dolmen de Kergazec is located c. 100m SE of Kergazec, a small village in Morbihan. The exposed dolmen is in reasonable condition, consisting of a large capstone on four supporting orthostats and dry walling. It retains a passage measuring c. 2m long. There is a small capstone on the SE end of the passage.
The best way to find Dolmen de Kergazec is to visit Dolmen de Kernevé then walk c. 140m SW along the C106 to the edge of an open field. Follow a dirt track heading NE for c. 300m to reach Dolmen de Kergazec.