Stone row of couches
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The row of stones from Couches ( French Alignement de Couches or Menhirs de Epoigny ) is located south of the D 978 road, northwest of Couches and southwest of Beaune in the Saône-et-Loire department in France . The alignment is the largest stone arrangement in eastern France.
It is a presumably Stone Age arrangement of seven granite menhirs (M1 to M7) weighing 20 to 30 tons , several of which are roughly in a row. The southern one (M1) is the largest, about 5.5 m high and has several grooves and bowls ( French cupules ). The middle menhir (M6) is about 4.5 m high, but has lost its point, while the northern menhir (M4 / 5) has fallen over and been broken or divided. If the parts belong together, it would be bigger than its neighbors. The menhirs are about 7 m apart.
About 50 m away in the north, at a distance of about 10 m, is a pair of menhirs (M2 and M3), both of which are about 4.5 m high. Despite the large gap, they could have formed a row along with M1, because it is believed that there were more menhirs here. The southern one (M2) has a few carved bowls, while the northern one is decorated with lines, bowls, an ax and several serpentine lines.
A little to the west near the road and not in relation to the others is a broken menhir (M7) only about 2 m high. Another stone is nearby.
literature
- Jean-Paul Thévenot: Bourgogne. In: Gallia préhistoire. Vol. 28, No. 2, 1985, ISSN 0016-4127 , pp. 171-210, here pp. 188-189, ( digitized version ).
Web links
- Description and pictures (English)
- Description map and pictures (French)
Coordinates: 46 ° 52 ′ 34.9 " N , 4 ° 32 ′ 4.1" E