The Stone Age is divided into the Old Stone Age, or Paleolithic, and the New Stone Age, or Neolithic. The Paleolithic is the era of the existence of fossil humans and belongs to that distant time when the Earth’s climate and its plant and animal world were quite different from the present.
The Neolithic is the New Stone Age, or the age of polished stone.
The Ice Age, along with its megafauna and the species diversity of humanity, is left behind. Neanderthals have exited the historical stage, and our ancestors – Cro-Magnon people – emerged victorious. Thus, our history begins with the Neolithic era. In 1868, during the construction of a railway in the locality of Cro-Magnon (Dordogne department, France), five Homo sapiens skeletons (lat. Homo sapiens – wise man) were found. This discovery confirmed the scientific hypothesis that modern humans “settled” in Europe about 33,000 years ago.
The expansion of sources of existence contributed to the settlement of humans over a larger territory. The development of pottery production and construction indicates a more stable sedentism of people. The improvement of weaving and leather processing reflects the increased material needs of humans.
The relatively rapid onset of the Neolithic is observed in countries with favorable climatic conditions: the Near and Middle East, Egypt, India, and somewhat later – in Southeastern Europe. In Northwestern Europe, the Urals, and Siberia, this process proceeded quite slowly, as natural conditions did not allow for a departure from old ways of obtaining food.
Throughout the Neolithic, many powerful stone structures were erected in various regions of Western Europe, elongated in plan and more or less defined in shape, which were once called the graves of giants due to their enormous sizes. Numerous legends were woven around these stone constructions and their builders, and the most fanciful hypotheses were put forward regarding their origin and purpose.
Megalithic structures are the earliest architectural monuments of the past that have survived in the West. They are found throughout Europe, the oldest of which date back to the mid-5th millennium BC, and their period of flourishing occurs in the 3rd millennium BC, at the turn of the Bronze Age. We are talking about monumental constructions that, in their simplest form, consist of large stones with a base anchored in the ground.
The highest concentration of megaliths in France is observed in areas such as Brittany (Bretagne) and Auvergne. To date, more than 500 megalithic monuments are known in Brittany. The most popular are the Carnac stones and the stones at Saint-Sulpice-de-Faleyrens.
The name Carnac comes from the Breton “karn”, literally “heap of stones”. This mysterious settlement in northwestern France, on the southern coast of Brittany, is famous for its many megaliths: menhirs, dolmens, and tumuli. It is estimated that there are about 3000 of them, three groups, although it is believed that once they were all one whole.
The purpose and origin of these Neolithic monuments remain a mystery. Until recently, they were worshipped by the inhabitants of Brittany. Since stone was the main building material for megalithic cultures, it is logical that great importance was attributed to stones in the mythology of that time, there existed a mythopoetic identification of “man = stone” and its mytho-ritual significance related to the creation of a stone tomb that preserves the life of the deceased.
An interesting Celtic legend illustrating the identification of “man = stone” is found in the life of one of the Roman popes – St. Cornelius. When he was hiding in Brittany from persecution, a legion of Roman soldiers was sent to capture him. They tracked Cornelius and chased him over the hills. According to the life, Cornelius turned the soldiers into rows of stones, which now come to life once a year – on the night of June 21 to 22.
The myth most closely related to the legend of St. Cornelius is the famous myth of Medusa Gorgon, who had the ability to turn all who looked at her into stone. Another myth tells that “Greek Noah” Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha, having survived the Flood, repopulated the Earth by throwing stones over their shoulders, and from the stones thrown by Deucalion, men appeared, while from the stones thrown by Pyrrha, women emerged.
The ancient Romans who lived in these regions once used them for religious rituals – on certain stones and monuments, there are images of Roman gods. Evidence of the spread of Christian teachings in these places has also been found in reliefs on numerous stones. Here you can find images of the cross and other Christian symbols. Mysterious structures are estimated by scientists to be about 5000 years old. However, it is clear that they were erected in different eras, including the early, middle, and late Neolithic.
To date, 4505 dolmens and 2208 menhirs have been registered in France. Grandiose, simply shaped stone structures were erected by the labor of the entire primitive community, expressing the unity of the tribe and its power. These were quadrangular structures made of slabs (dolmens), vertical pillars, sometimes decorated with reliefs (menhirs, which include the “stone women” of southern Russia), and pillars arranged around a sacrificial stone (cromlechs).
Over the centuries, a huge number of megaliths have been dismantled, sawed, or blown up. The Romans used the stone of the megaliths for paving roads and building houses. In the Middle Ages, dolmens and other megaliths were viewed as remnants of paganism, and the attitude towards them was purely utilitarian: they were carved into stone crosses or simply destroyed. In the 19th century, the greatest damage to prehistoric structures was inflicted by amateurs of archaeology and treasure hunters who blew up megaliths in hopes of finding gold beneath them. Even in the second half of the 20th century, not everyone understood the historical value of Neolithic monuments. Thus, in 1974, the mayor of one French commune ordered the demolition of a dolmen “for more rational use of the land.”
