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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Menhir du Vieux-Poitiers, locally called Pierre Levée, is a 2.66 m high yellowish sandstone block erected during the Neolithic period. It bears a Gaulish inscription engraved in the Gallo-Roman era: "RATIN BRIVATIOM FRONV TARBE(T)I SONIOS IEVRV", translated as "Frontu, son of Tarbeisa, offered the ford of the inhabitants of Briva". This site, which has been continuously occupied since the Neolithic period, became a place of worship and exchange at the Iron Age, before becoming a Gallo-Roman vicus named Briva, integrated into the Picton city.

The menhir is associated with a nearby Celtic sanctuary, dating from the late late late Latenian period (II century BC), where military objects such as a carnyx and a metal sign were found. In the Gallo-Roman era, the site, called Vetus Pictavis, became a major secondary agglomeration, with a 116 m diameter theatre (capable of hosting 10,000 spectators), ceramic workshops, and a structured long-term network. The menhir, classified as a Historical Monument in 1892, bears witness to the continued occupation of the site, from prehistoric origins to ancient times.

The archaeological site of the Old Poitiers extends over 65 hectares, on horseback to the communes of Naintré and Cenon-sur-Vienne (Vienna, New Aquitaine). It marks the boundary between the Paris and Aquitaine basins, at the confluence of the Clain and Vienna, a strategic location for trade and defence. The excavations revealed neolithic enclosures, cultural deposits of the Iron Age (fibula, Gaulish coins struck at Lemonum), and Gallo-Roman vestiges such as a fluvial port, insulae (insulae), and a possible necropolis. The menhir, with its inscription dedicated to a ratis (forged or fortified), illustrates local evergetism and cultural syncretism between Celtic and Roman traditions.

In the High Middle Ages, the site played a key political role: in 732, it may have been the scene of a battle between Charles Martel and the Saracens, although this hypothesis remains debated. In 742, Carloman and Pépin the Brief signed there the act of sharing the franc kingdom. The decline of the site began at the end of the Merovingian period, with a gradual shift of activities towards Châtellerault. Today, the menhir and the ruins of the theatre (classified in 1970-1971) are the most emblematic remains of this centuries-old past, highlighted by exhibitions and educational visits organized by the community of Châtelleraudais.

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