MONUMENTS OF THE STONE AND BRONZE AGES. 637 



some of these stones in Brittany were put in place, there has been a 

 noticeable subsidence of the coast, so that now some are only revealed 

 at low tide. On the island of Erlanic in the Gulf of Morbihan is half 

 of a cromlech; the other half with the whole of another circle tangent 

 to the first is under water. But this subsidence of the land since 

 these monuments were built would not necessarily indicate any great 

 antiquity, for appreciable movements of the earth's crust, producing 

 changes in level, have taken place in this region in comparatively re- 

 cent times. 



Most of the monuments of Brittany, with the exception of the 

 lechs, which are known to be comparatively recent, seem to be of un- 

 hewn stone and many undoubtedly belong to some part of the Neolithic 

 period, while others belong to the bronze. Stonehenge has been satis- 

 factorily determined to belong to the bronze age, from its apparent 

 association with the barrows which surround it. An examination of 

 many of these barrows has revealed many bronze instruments and orna- 

 ments and determined them as belonging to that age. Avebury is 

 probably much older, consisting entirely, besides the earthwork, of un- 

 hewn menhirs, while almost all the stones of Stonehenge are trimmed 

 and squared, and the great outer circle is furnished with oblong, 

 squared capping stones. And more than this, the capping stones dove- 

 tail into each other and are secured on their supports by means of 

 hollows on their under surfaces fitting over bosses on the supports. 



Dolman, near Carnac, Brittany. 



