| Abstract: | Summary. The Grand Menhir Brisé is one member of a complex of sites near the Breton village of Locmariaquer. When intact, it would have been the largest menhir moved by neolithic man. The cause of the menhir's fall has been the subject of debate for over 250 years.
This paper considers the quarrying, transport and raising of the Grand Menhir from an engineering and archaeological viewpoint and the possible causes of the breakage are discussed in detail. It is concluded that, with the data available, a fall caused by a natural catastrophe is improbable. The former presence of a large, natural flaw within the menhir is revealed and it is demonstrated that this is likely to have caused the breakage of the Grand Menhir during its erection. The most reasonable explanation of the present positions of the fragments is that the basal section was re-erected, to be toppled subsequently. The position and form of the original stone-hole is predicted from this conclusion. |
