Megalithic refers to prehistoric cultures characterized by the erection of monuments made of large stones. Jersey has no shortage of these!
FALDOUET DOLMEN
This Dolmen can be found just off a small country lane overlooking the east coast above Gorey. It dates back 6000 years (about 2000 years before Stonehenge and the Pyramids!). In its excavated form, you can wonder how Jersey’s first residents, who had adopted agriculture rather than being hunter-gatherers, moved stones weighing 25 tonnes up to this high spot from the beaches. It aligns with the rising sun on the equinoxes, reinforcing the sun’s importance and growing season to these farming people.
GRANTEZ DOLMEN
Grantez Dolmen is a relatively compact dolmen on high ground overlooking St Ouen’s Bay from the north. Stand next to it and get an idea of the views our Neolithic ancestors would have had out towards the ever-changing Atlantic Ocean. Unusually, when this dolmen was excavated, eight complete bodies were found with associated grave goods. A network of fabulous walks is nearby over adjacent National Trust land.
LA HOUGUE BIE
What must be Jersey’s No. 1 man-made structure? A huge mound covers this Neolithic dolmen and is about 6000 years old. Dolmens were an integral part of the ritual and commemoration of death in this period. Apart from the engineering feat of its construction, with massive stones being transported across the Island, the dolmen is aligned with the rising sun on the spring and autumn equinoxes, whose rays only twice a year penetrate the interior deep underground. You can still enter and explore this subterranean world, and if you think ancient civilisations were primitive, think again!
LE PINACLE
This majestic natural granite stack rises from the cliffs of the northwest coast. Look closely from your cliff-top vantage point, and you will notice patterns in the array of ancient stones at its base. These were the remains of structures spanning the Neolithic, Iron Age and Gallo-Roman periods when this was an extremely important place of ritual and a stone axe-making site. Axes from here have been found all over the island and in France, being an early export and evidence of trade. Whilst you can climb down the steep path to the base of Le Pinacle, it is not recommended unless you are fit and agile, and it can be dangerous.
SAND DUNES AT ST OUEN’S BAY
Stretching some 5 miles along the western coast of the Island, St Ouen’s Bay is undoubtedly scenic with its blue sea, crashing surf and incredible sunsets. It is less apparent that this beautiful bay was home to successive settlements in prehistoric times with its proximity to the sea and food sources, fresh water (St Ouen’s pond is a reminder of this) and fertile low-lying ground, which could be farmed. Unfortunately for these people, sand dunes later inundated the land and settlements were abandoned, but if you walk among the dunes, you will see Neolithic standing stones and alignments reminding us of their past presence.
ABOUT OUR GUEST AUTHOR: Jersey born guide Marc Yates @megalithicjersey has lived in the Island for most of his life and is passionate about its megalithic history. He is a keen amateur archaeologist and geologist, and
also loves military history.
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