The monumental alignments found in southern Brittany, particularly Carnac, potentially mark the beginnings of the megalithic tradition in north-west Europe. Radiocarbon dates from excavations at a previously unknown section of this extensive megalithic complex, presented here, provide new insights into the dynamic history of construction during the fifth millennium cal BC. This refined chronology reveals not only that the site of Le Plasker—consisting of a pre-megalithic monumental tomb, alignments of standing stones and hearths—developed over 300 years in the Middle Neolithic, but that the choice of location may have been influenced by an earlier Late Mesolithic occupation.
