Obelix, a French cartoon character, carrying a menhir.
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Menhirs & Dolmens
I bet you're asking yourself right now, "What the heck are dolmens and menhirs?" So here are a few definitions:
Dolmen: a prehistoric monument, generally regarded as a tomb, made by laying a large, flat stone across several upright stones
Menhir: an upright monumental stone (megalith) standing either alone or with others, typical of the monuments of the megalithic culture of western Europe
The dolmens we see today are really just skeletons of what they used to be because they were originally buried underground and filled with the dead. One dolmen was found that originally housed over 100 bodies! Also, for reasons unknown, most dolmens are set up east to west with the entrance on the south. It might have something to do with the sun.
Dolmens located in Burren Region of Ireland
Menhirs are just single stones lined up. If you put them in a circle it's called a henge. That's where we get our lovely Stonehenge from. If you line them up in parallel rows you have an allignment. Some pretty elaborate allignments can be found near Carnac, France and they extend for almost two miles.
Carnac, France - Allignment Palaggiu, Corsica - Broken down allignment
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