Cham des Bondons, Neolithic menhir site in Les Bondons, France.
Cham des Bondons is a Neolithic open-air site on a limestone plateau at 1,100 meters elevation, featuring more than 150 granite standing stones spread across the landscape. The stones rise from the ground to form a scattered network of upright monuments that visitors can see and walk among.
The stones were erected between the late Neolithic and Bronze Age, showing how long people used this location for ritual or community purposes. In the 1940s, a doctor named Morel made the first systematic study of the site, recording where each menhir stood.
The stones have carried different names through the centuries, from "Pierres branlantes" to "Menhirs," reflecting how local people understood them over time. Visitors today come to explore what these monuments meant to the communities that placed them on this high plateau.
Visitors can follow marked paths to explore the stones at their own pace and see different areas of the plateau. The terrain is open and fairly level, but sturdy walking shoes and weather protection are helpful at this elevation.
Each stone was transported from granite quarries near Fontpadelle, showing the enormous effort ancient people invested in building these monuments. The largest examples tower more than 4 meters above the ground.
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