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Origin and history

The Menhir de la Grande Borne, located in Coulmier-le-Sec in Burgundy, is one of the few megaliths classified as Châtillonnais, a region more known for its Celtic sites of Hallstatt and La Tène. Daed of Neolithic, it also bears the name of Head of Chevau and stands in a field, to the right of the road leading from Coulmier to Villaines-en-Duesmois, near the farm of Rippes. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1889, it illustrates the prehistoric occupation of this territory, marked by stones erected with still debated functions (benchmarks, religious symbols or funerals).

The Châtillonnais, in the north of the Gold Coast, concentrates several remarkable menhirs, three of which are protected under the Historical Monuments. Among them, the Grande Borne is distinguished by its location on an ancient axis and its early classification, reflecting the interest of 19th century archaeologists in these remains. These megaliths coexist with other neolithic traces, such as Balot rock shelters or Duesme ditches, revealing a dense human occupation related to hunting (bears, mammoths) and nascent agriculture.

Unlike the displaced menhirs such as that of Châtillon (transferred by the Count of Ivory), the Grande Borne remained in situ, preserving its archaeological context. Its proximity to tumulus and pierced stones (as in Nod-sur-Seine) suggests an organized megalithic landscape, possibly linked to rituals or territorial markings. The regional excavations revealed flint tools and bones of missing animals (wooly rhinoceros), confirming the neolithic anchoring of this area before its growth in Iron Age.

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