Introduction. The Episteme of the Gallic Past

Gustave Flaubert's visit to the megalithic stone alignments of Carnac in 1847 offers a unique and critical perspective on the scholarly interpretations of these structures. His sardonic account challenges centuries of antiquarian theories, which had attributed various functions such as Gallic altars, temples, graves, or astrological symbols to the menhirs. Flaubert dismisses these interpretations as imaginative but ultimately unproductive, arguing that the stones lack historical significance beyond their material form. His analysis reveals a broader critique of scholarly attempts to reconstruct lost worlds from megalithic remains, highlighting the limitations of antiquarian imagination compared to the stones themselves.

Regazzoni, L., & Dillon, J. N. (2024). Introduction. The Episteme of the Gallic Past, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003355106-1