Origin and history

The Thirteen Menhirs of the so-called Maisonnette group constitute a megalithic complex located in the municipality of Bondons, in the Occitanie region. This site, composed of thirteen raised stones, is part of the local prehistoric landscape, although its exact period of construction is not specified in the available sources. Menhirs, aligned or grouped, are characteristic of funeral or symbolic monuments erected by neolithic societies, but their precise function is often debated by archaeologists.

The department of Lozère, where Les Bondons are located, is home to several vestiges of the time, reflecting ancient human occupation and cultural practices related to megalithism. In this mountainous region, prehistoric communities lived mainly in agriculture, breeding and hunting, organizing their space around sacred or memorial sites. Menhirs, like those of the Maisonnette, could serve as territorial landmarks, places of worship or memorials, playing a central role in the social and spiritual life of the people of the time.