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Origin and history

Le polishoir de Mézy-Moulins is a megalithic vestige located in the commune of Mézy-Moulins, in the department of Aisne (Hauts-de-France). This monument, consisting of a block of sandstone of 2.10 m by 1.85 m, is partially buried in the ground. It has twenty-one polishing grooves, measuring between 0.15 m and 0.80 m in length, as well as two bowls, showing its artisanal or ritual use during Neolithic. Its location near a stream suggests a link to material transformation activities, such as sharpening stone tools.

The polisher was classified as historical monuments by order of 20 February 1969, thereby recognizing its archaeological and heritage value. This type of monument illustrates the technical and social practices of neolithic communities, for which polishers played a central role in the manufacture of polished stone tools and objects. Although little documented in local sources before the 20th century, it was studied in 1908 by E. Chambroux, who provided a first description of it in Prehistoric Man.

The Hauts-de-France region, and in particular the department of Aisne, is home to several comparable megalithic sites, integrated into a wider network of protected monuments. These vestiges shed light on the exchanges and know-how of sedentary populations in Neolithic, a period marked by emerging agriculture, breeding and the development of specialized tools. Mézy-Moulins' polishing room is thus part of a larger prehistoric heritage, today preserved for its scientific and historical interest.

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