The emergence of architectural monumentality in Neolithic Europe showcases societies’ ability to coordinate large projects. Monumentality, including megalithism and enclosures, first appeared in Western Europe during the Early Neolithic. Large enclosures in northern Germany and France emerged in the Middle Neolithic, coinciding with megalith construction in the Atlantic region. Research in west-central France focuses on megalithic monuments from the mid-fifth millennium BC. The Le Peu enclosure in Charente, discovered in 2011, features unique quadrangular buildings and a defensive ditch system. Geoarchaeological methods reveal the landscape history, challenging the idea that megaliths and enclosures developed separately. Excavations show multiple phases of occupation, highlighting cultural and environmental changes over time.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/emergence-of-monumental-architecture-in-atlantic-europe-a-fortified-fifthmillennium-bc-enclosure-in-western-france/8ED741E657BCBE5522E7EC273F7D697D