Carnac

Carnac, a French seaside village, on the bay of Quiberon, and about 20 miles S.E. of Lorient. It is nothing more than a fishing village, and has nothing remarkable in itself. But in the neighbourhood near the sea is a plain upon which are certain historical relics which have much puzzled antiquaries, who do not yet know whether to class them as Druidical remains, or to relegate them to a much earlier and prehistoric period. They consist of rude granite pillars or obelisks, arranged in eleven rows from east to west, covering a range of about 2,000 yards, and numbering eleven or twelve hundred. The highest are over 20 ft. in height. Their number was formerly much greater (there were 15,000 even in the 16th century), but since then many have been destroyed. Excavations in the neighbourhood have brought to light gold and jade ornaments and various other remains.