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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The menhir de Pierre Fiche, located in Simandre-sur-Suan in the department of Ain, is a megalithic vestige emblematic of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Although no precise dating is available, its shape evokes Burgundian menhirs of the Middle Neolithic (4200-3600 BC). This monument, isolated today, could have been part of a larger ensemble, including two other erect stones mentioned by ancient sources but disappeared in the eighteenth century.

Ranked as historical monuments since 6 March 1888, this menhir is the only one known in the Ain and one of the few megalithic monuments attested to in the department. A local legend tells that the menhir and his two missing neighbours would be the quakes planted by three fairies. A projection of the stone was known to make the couples rubbing in it fruitful, adding a mythical dimension to this prehistoric monument.

The available data highlight its archaeological and cultural importance, despite the lack of tangible evidence of its exact origin. Its approximate location is indicated at 5 Impasse du Menhir, and its state of conservation remains a subject of interest to researchers and megalithic heritage enthusiasts.

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