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Origin and history

The menhir dit La Pierre à Colon, also known as Pierre Colon, is an emblematic megalithic monument located in the commune of Les Sees, in the department of Yonne. Consisting of a 2.20-metre-high block of sandstone, it is distinguished by its numerous natural alveoles, giving it the nickname Pierre aux pigeons. This menhir is represented on the Napoleonic cadastral plan of 1834, attesting to its ancient presence in the local landscape.

Ranked as historic monuments in 1889, this menhir illustrates the importance of megalithic sites in the Burgundy region. His name, Pierre à Colon, could derive from a linguistic distortion or local oral tradition, although the written sources do not specify its exact origin. The stone belongs today to the municipality of Seats, which ensures its preservation.

The Neolithic, period of presumed construction of the menhir, corresponds to an era of sedentarization and emergence of agricultural practices in Burgundy. Megaliths, such as Stone at Colon, often marked places of assembly, worship or burial, playing a central role in the social organization of prehistoric communities. Their location reflects an increasing control of the territory and natural resources, including sandstone, a material common in the region.

Local research, including that of Pierre Glaizal in Les menhirs de l'Yonne (2007), highlights the relative scarcity of these monuments in the department. Colon Stone is one of the protected megalithic sites of the Yonne, alongside other classified remains. Its state of conservation and its approximate location (diagnostic precision estimated at 7/10) make it a subject of study for archaeologists and historians of megalithism.

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