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The lunar observatory hypothesis at Carnac: a reconsideration

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Evan Hadingham
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Extract

One of the most spectacular of all the theories recently advanced in archaeoastronomy concerns the standing stones of Carnac in southern Brittany. The possibility that the famous prehistoric megaliths or ‘menhirs’ in this region represent the remains of an extensive, highly accurate lunar observatory has excited much interest in both academic and popular literature. In the company of two experienced archaeologists I recently set out to re-examine and record the field evidence on which the lunar observatory theory is based. The result of this work is to cast serious doubt on the theory, and to illustrate the difficulties of assessing the astronomy of the megalith builders.

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Antiquity , Volume 55 , Issue 213 , March 1981, pp. 35 - 42
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Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 1981

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