Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The menhir des Rivaux, nicknamed the Grand'Borne, is a 3.10 m high local limestone block erected in the Neolithic on a slope break at Égriselles-le-Bocage (Yonne). Its faces, oriented according to the cardinal points, have mostly natural concavities, although two seem regular. Wrongly classified as dolmen in 1894, there remains a rare testimony of burgundy megalithic practices.

The archaeological discovery of the site is the responsibility of Gustave Guérin, a local resident who in 1892 reported to the Société des Sciences de l'Yonne the probable character of menhir of stone. Under the advice of archaeologist Gabriel de Mortillet, Guérin conducted excavations at his base, revealing a perforated polished axe and neolithic pottery coats. These artifacts confirm the prehistoric origin of the monument, although its exact use remains uncertain.

Menhir is associated with popular beliefs that persisted until the 19th century. According to tradition, sick animals had to turn around the stone to heal, or inhale smoke from the fires of Saint John before this ritual. These practices reflect the symbolic importance of megaliths in agro-pastoral societies, where they served as sacred landmarks. The classification of 1894, although erroned in its denomination, allowed its preservation.

Composed of locally extracted flint limestone, the menhir weighs several tons and sinks about 1 m into the ground. Its tapered shape (1.70 m wide at the base for 0.72 m thick) and cardinal orientation suggest a desire to mark space, possibly linked to astronomical cycles or territorial boundaries. The excavations of 1892 did not reveal a funeral structure, definitely invalidating the hypothesis of a dolmen.

The stone was officially protected by an order of 1 August 1894, under the inaccurate name of dolmen d'Égriselles-le-Bocage, a persistent error in the archives despite the archaeological evidence. Today, the site remains publicly accessible, although its exact location (23 Rue du Menhir) is sometimes poorly referenced in geographical databases.

External links