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Researchers Confirm 7,000-Year-Old Granite Wall off Brittany Coast

Peer-reviewed analysis dates the 120-meter structure to 5800–5300 BCE, indicating advanced prehistoric engineering.

Im Meer vor der bretonischen Küste haben französische Wissenschaftler eine etwa 7000 Jahre alte und 120 Meter lange Granitmauer entdeckt.

Overview

  • The structure was first spotted on a laser-mapped seabed chart by geologist Yves Fouquet and then verified in about 60 dives.
  • It lies roughly nine meters below present sea level, having been built when local shorelines were significantly lower.
  • Dating places the construction in the Mesolithic–early Neolithic transition, suggesting organized labor and technical skill.
  • Its purpose remains unresolved, with hypotheses including a seawall, a fish trap, or a hunting trap.
  • The findings, described as unique in France for the period and older than Brittany's menhirs and dolmens, were published in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology.