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Origin and history

The Pierre Percée de Draché, also known as Pierre des Érables, Pierre des Arabes or Bogue de Gargantua, is a neolithic menhir located in the commune of Draché in Indre-et-Loire. With a height of almost 4 meters, it is the highest menhir still standing in this department. Its natural hole, located 1.40 m from the summit, inspired many local beliefs and rituals, such as the passage of the head of the condemned or the oaths of love exchanged through the opening. The stone, composed of meulierized limestone or turonian limestone spath, differs from the local rocks, mainly from the tuffeaux.

Ranked a historic monument by decree of 29 April 1911, the Pierre Percée was initially a private property before being bought by the Conseil départemental d'Indre-et-Loire. It is represented on the coat of arms of the municipality of Draché. His erection probably dates back to the late Neolithic period, between 2500 and 2000 B.C., although some sources expanded this range to 4000-2000 B.C. Excavations conducted in 1910 revealed unused flint fragments at his foot, suggesting human activity related to megalith.

Menhir is associated with artenacian culture, the last phase of local Neolithic, marked by intense lithic and ceramic production, as well as long-distance trade. The region, rich in flint of the Grand-Pressigny, was a crossroads of exchanges, especially along the Vienna, located a few kilometers away. The silico-clay slopes where the stone stands, once easier to cultivate than with modern tools, may have been among the first lands cleared by the Neolithic communities.

The Percée Stone is surrounded by legends, such as the Sarrasins buried at its feet, linked to a historical confusion with the Battle of Poitiers (732), or its association with the giant Gargantua, popularized by Rabelais. Local traditions include protection rites (male lichens, grass for cattle) and oaths of love exchanged through its hole. A space arranged by the Departmental Council now allows free access to the site, offering a romantic setting and conducive to meditation.

Recent excavations, such as those at the Fond d'Arrêt site in Pussigny in 2013, have confirmed the importance of Artenac's culture in the region, with discoveries of lithic furniture and fragmented structures. These elements reinforce the hypothesis of a dense and organized human occupation around megaliths, such as the Percée Stone or the nearby Levée Stone. Menhir remains a major testimony of the funeral, symbolic and social practices of Neolithic in Touraine.

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