Menhir de la Haute-Borne (Fontaines-sur-Marne)
The Menhir de la Haute-Borne is located northwest of Fontaines-sur-Marne in the north of the Haute-Marne department in France . It stands fenced on the edge of the old Roman road from Segessera ( Bar-sur-Aube ) to Nasium ( Naix-aux-Forges ).
It was overturned by a storm in 1782, on which occasion the crack that can now be seen may have appeared. It lay on the ground for about 60 years before it was erected by Prefect Romieu in 1845. It was classified as a Monument historique in 1883 and is the only protected menhir in the department .
description
The Neolithic menhir made of local limestone is 6.56 m high and at the height of 1.5 m it is 2.24 m wide. Its thickness varies between 0.45 m and 0.6 m. The measurements were taken by Abbot Phulpin between 1782 and 1845 while the menhir was lying. During installation it was used at a depth of 1.0 m.
It bears the Latin inscription "VIROMARUS ISTATILIF" at a height of 3.41 m. For Noël Spéranze and Louis Lepage, the “F” at the end corresponds to the abbreviation for Filius and would mean “Viromarus son of Istatilus”.
According to legend, the menhir is a spindle whorl that a fairy from Lorraine lost when she went to the mills of Rachecourt.
Web links
- Menhir dit "de la Haute-Borne", situé sur la montagne du Châtelet in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- Description and picture (French)
Coordinates: 48 ° 33 ′ 0.6 ″ N , 5 ° 6 ′ 55 ″ E