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Origin and history

The Couhard Pyramid, also known as Couhard Stone, is an ancient monument erected in the second century near the ancient necropolis of the " Champ des Urnes" in Autun, Saône-et-Loire. Ranked a historical monument since 1840, this pyramid structure with a square base (10.50 m side, 22.65 m height) overlooks the city. Its name comes from the neighbouring hamlet of Couhard. Although without an inner chamber, it was probably covered with a white marble trim originally, according to a plan dating back to the time of Francis I.

The pyramid is interpreted as a funeral monument or cenotaph, typical of Roman necropolises outside the walls. Excavations, such as those carried out in 1640 by Abbé de Castille or in 1802 by Joseph Rosny, did not reveal any interior rooms. In 1960, a 2nd century lead magic tablet, with inscriptions in Latin and Greek, was discovered at its base and is now preserved at the Rolin museum in Autun.

Several restorations marked its history, notably in the early 1980s, when the use of cement damaged the stone. In 2021, a restoration campaign (€275,000) aimed at replacing cement with lime and securing the building. The pyramid remains a symbol of the Gallo-Roman remains of Autun, ancient Augustodunum, and bears witness to the funeral practices of the period.

Its architecture, now reduced to its interior blockade, was initially about 33 meters high. The assumptions about its sponsor sometimes include the Druid Divitacos, although this theory is based on a controversial medal mentioned in the seventeenth century. The 19th and 20th century surveys did not make it possible to decide definitively on its exact function.

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