View source for Menhir

{{short description|Large upright standing stone}}
{{Redirect|Standing stone}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
[[File:Ballinagree.jpg|upright=1.5|thumb|Large menhir located between [[Millstreet]] and [[Ballinagree]], [[County Cork]], Ireland]]
[[File:Menir da Caramujeira - Lagoa - 22.10.2019.jpg|thumb|The [[Caramujeira]] Menhir, currently preserved at the [[Silves, Portugal|Silves]] Municipal Archeology Museum, in [[Portugal]]]]
[[File:Celtic maen hir or cairn at Cwm Rhaeadr Fawr (valley near Aber Falls), Gwynedd, Wales 30.jpg|thumb|Cwm Rhaeadr Fawr ''maen hir'' (menhir) near [[Aber Falls]], [[Gwynedd]], [[Wales]]]]
[[File:Goonhilly Downs menhir.jpg|thumb|[[Dry Tree menhir]] – a standing stone at [[Goonhilly Downs]] [[Cornwall]]]]

A '''menhir''' ({{IPAc-en|'|m|E|n|h|I@r}};<ref>{{cite OED|menhir|8737336948|access-date=2023-09-25}}</ref> from [[Brittonic languages]]: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/menhir|title=Menhir|last=Anon|work=The Free Dictionary|publisher=Farlex, Inc.|access-date=15 December 2010}}</ref>), '''standing stone''', '''orthostat''', or '''lith''' is a large upright [[rock (geology)|stone]], emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the European [[middle Bronze Age]]. They can be found individually as [[monolith]]s, or as part of a group of similar stones. Menhirs' size can vary considerably, but they often taper toward the top. 

Menhirs are found across Europe, Africa, and Asia, with a concentration in [[Western Europe]], notably in [[Ireland]], [[Great Britain]], and [[Brittany]]. Theories concerning their purpose remain speculative, with hypotheses ranging from [[Ancient Celtic religion|druidic rituals]] to territorial markers or elements of an ideological system. Some menhirs feature [[Engraving|engravings]], including anthropomorphic figures and symbols, and are often associated with ancient religious ceremonies and [[Chamber tomb|burial chambers]].  

== Etymology ==
The word ''menhir'' was adopted from French by 19th-century archaeologists. The introduction of the word into general archaeological usage has been attributed to the 18th-century French military officer [[Théophile Corret de la Tour d'Auvergne]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.landrucimetieres.fr/spip/spip.php?article1598|title=La Tour d'Auvergne (Théophile Malo Corret de la Tour d'Auvergne : 1743–1800)|last=Landru|first=Philippe|date=2008-08-23|access-date=2018-01-24}}</ref> It is a combination of two words of the Breton language: ''maen'' and ''hir''. In [[Welsh language|modern Welsh]], they are described as ''maen hir'', or "long stone". In modern Breton, the word ''peulvan'' is used, with ''peul'' meaning "stake" or "post" and ''van'' which is a [[Breton mutations|soft mutation]] of the word ''maen'' which means "stone". In Germany and Scandinavia the word ''Bauta'' is used (German: [[:de:Bautastein|Bautastein]]; Norwegian: [[:no:bautastein|bautastein]]) and this occasionally makes its way into English with the term "bauta stone".
[[File:Carnac Geant du Manio.jpg|thumb|upright|The Géant du Manio, a menhir in [[Carnac stones|Carnac]], [[Brittany]]]]

==History==
Almost nothing is known of the social organization or religious beliefs of the people who erected the menhirs. Their language is also unknown. It is known, however, that they buried their dead and had the skills to grow crops, farm and make pottery, stone tools and jewelry. Identifying the purpose or use of menhirs remains speculative. Until recently, standing stones were associated with the [[Beaker people]], who inhabited Europe during the European late [[Neolithic]] and early [[Bronze Age]]<ref>{{cite book |last=De Breffny |first=Brian |author-link= |date=1983 |title=Ireland: A Cultural Encyclopedia |url= |location=London |publisher=Thames and Hudson |page=229|isbn=}}</ref>—later third millennium BC, {{Circa|2800}}–1800&nbsp;BC. However, recent research into the age of megaliths in Brittany strongly suggests a far older origin, perhaps back to six to seven thousand years ago.<ref name="MM">{{cite magazine |last1=Aviva |first1=Elyn |last2=White |first2=Gary |title=Mysterious Megaliths: The Standing Stones of Carnac, Brittany, France |magazine=[[World and I]] |volume=13 |date=October 1998}}</ref>

During the European Middle Ages, standing stones were believed to have been built by the [[Giant (mythology)|giants]] who lived before the [[biblical flood]]. Many of the [[megalith]]s were destroyed or defaced by early Christians; it is estimated that some 50,000 megaliths once stood in Northern Europe, where almost 10,000 now remain.<ref name="Olsen">{{cite book |last=Olsen |first=Brad |title=Sacred Places Around the World: 108 Destinations By Brad Olsen |date=February 2004 |publisher=Consortium of Collective Consciousness |isbn=1-888729-10-4 |page=232 |chapter=Carbnac |access-date=21 February 2010 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7FS40w2nrqQC&q=menhirs+destroyed+by+christians&pg=PA232}}</ref> Menhirs have also been found in many other parts of the world.

Many menhirs are engraved with [[megalithic art]], some with [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] features.  Other common carvings are identified as images of [[stone axe]]s, ploughs, shepherds' crooks, and yokes; and are named after these motifs.  However, these identifications are not secure except for those of the stone axe images, and the names used to describe them are largely a matter of convenience. Some menhirs were broken up and incorporated into later [[passage graves]], where they had new megalithic art carved with little regard for the previous pictures. It is not known if this re-use was deliberate or if the passage grave builders just saw menhirs as a convenient source of stone.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Le Roux |first=C. T. |date=1992 |title=The Art of Gavrinis Presented in its Armorican Context and in Comparison with Ireland |journal=Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland |volume=122 |pages=79–108}}</ref>

Where menhirs appear in groups, often in a circular, oval, [[henge]], or horseshoe formation, they are sometimes called megalithic monuments. These are sites of ancient religious ceremonies, sometimes containing burial chambers.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Chris |last1=Roberts |title=Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind Rhyme |publisher=Thorndike Press |year=2006 |isbn=0-7862-8517-6}}</ref> The exact function of menhirs has provoked more debate than practically any other issue in [[Prehistoric Europe|European prehistory]]. Over the centuries, they have variously been thought to have been used by [[druids]] for human sacrifice, used as territorial markers, or elements of a complex ideological system, used as [[mnemonic]] systems for [[Orality|oral]] cultures,<ref>{{cite book |first=Lynne |last=Kelly |title=Knowledge and Power in Prehistoric Societies: Orality, Memory, and the Transmission of Culture |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-1107059375 |oclc=910935575}}</ref> or functioning as early calendars.<ref>{{cite book |last=Patton |first=Mark. |title=Statements in Stone: Monuments and Society in Neolithic Brittany |place=New York |publisher=Routledge |year=1993 |page=4}}</ref> Until the nineteenth century, antiquarians did not have substantial knowledge of prehistory, and their only reference points were provided by classical literature. The developments of [[radiocarbon dating]] and [[dendrochronology]] have significantly advanced scientific knowledge in this area.

==Geographical distribution==
{{Main|List of menhirs}}
Menhirs are widely distributed across Europe, Africa, and Asia, but are most numerous in Western Europe; particularly in Ireland, Great Britain, and [[Brittany]], where there are about 50,000 examples,<ref name="Greene">{{cite book |last=Greene |first=Janice |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Nic-eFE2LAC&q=%2250%2C000+megaliths%22&pg=PA43 |title=Strange But True Stories |publisher=Saddleback Pub |year=2006 |isbn=1-59905-010-2 |access-date=25 August 2011}}</ref> and northwestern France, where there are some 1,200 further examples.<ref>{{cite book |last=Oliphant |first=Margaret |title=The Atlas Of The Ancient World |year=1992 |page=81}}</ref> Standing stones are usually difficult to date. They were constructed during many different periods across prehistory as part of the larger [[megalith]]ic cultures in Europe and near areas. Some menhirs stand next to buildings that have an early or current religious significance. One example is the [[South Zeal]] Menhir in Devon, which formed the basis for a 12th-century [[monastery]] built by lay monks. The monastery later became the Oxenham Arms hotel, at South Zeal, and the standing stone remains in place in the [[The snug|snug bar]] at the hotel.<ref>{{cite web |title=Oxenham Arms{{mdash}}Standing Stone (Menhir) |url=https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=8401 |access-date=11 June 2022 |website=The Megalithic Portal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dartmoorwalks.org.uk/site/oxenham.php|title=Dartmoor Site: The Oxenham Arms standing stones|website=www.dartmoorwalks.org.uk}}</ref>

It is believed that practitioners of megalithic religions travelled via the sea, as the mass majority of menhirs are located on coasts, islands, and peninsulas.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Carrington |first1=Dorothy |author-link=Dorothy Carrington |title=Granite Island: Portrait of Corsica |year= 2015 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-0-14-191819-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T15aBgAAQBAJ |access-date=26 December 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
The French comic book series ''[[Asterix]]'' features the character [[Obelix]], who is known for carrying menhirs, as a sculptor and deliveryman.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/europe-travel/france/paris/reach-for-the-sky-with-asterix-mnhg2dxsnwz | title=Reach for the sky with Astérix | date=17 October 2023 }}</ref>
==See also==
{{div col}}
*{{annotated link|Asherah pole}}
*{{annotated link|Baetyl}}
*{{annotated link|Carlin stone}}
*{{annotated link|Carnac stones}}
*{{annotated link|Ceremonial pole}}
*{{annotated link|Cove (standing stones)}}
*{{annotated link|Stone circle|Cromlech}}
*{{annotated link|Deer stone}}
*{{annotated link|Dolmen}}
*{{annotated link|Fulacht fiadh}}
*{{annotated link|Gowk stane}}
*{{annotated link|Henge}}
*{{annotated link|High place}}
*{{annotated link|Inuksuk}}
*{{annotated link|Kigilyakh}}
*{{annotated link|Ley line}}
*{{annotated link|List of individual rocks}}
*{{annotated link|List of largest monoliths}}
*{{annotated link|Megalith}}
*{{annotated link|Moai}}
*{{annotated link|Napakivi}}
*{{annotated link|Nature worship}}
*{{annotated link|Obelisk}}
*{{annotated link|Obelix}}
*{{annotated link|Orthostates}}
*{{annotated link|Matzevah}}. Also matzeva/mazzeva/maseba/masseba/massebah.
*{{annotated link|Statue menhir}}
*{{annotated link|Stele}}
*{{annotated link|Stone circle}}
*{{annotated link|Stone row}}. Also stone alignment.
*{{annotated link|Stone ship}}. Also ship setting.
*{{annotated link|Stone slab}}
*{{annotated link|Trees in mythology}}
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last=Mohen |first=Jean-Pierre |translator-last1=Baker |translator-first1=Dorie B. |translator-last2=Baker |translator-first2=David J. |year=2000 |orig-year=1998 |title=Standing Stones: Stonehenge, Carnac and the World of Megaliths |series=[[Découvertes Gallimard|New Horizons]] series |location=London |publisher=Thames & Hudson |isbn=0-500-30090-9 |ref=none}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Menhirs}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220914-carnac-alignments-brittanys-mysterious-standing-stones|title=The mystery of France's 'Stonehenge'|website=BBC|date=20 September 2022|access-date=20 September 2022}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060906114902/http://megalith.ru/articles/polakova.shtml Rows of menhirs in Russia, South Ural]
*[http://smircikrize.euweb.cz/Menhiry/Menhiry.html List of menhirs and their related stories in Czech Republic]
*[http://jqjacobs.net/archaeo/sites/index.html#europe Ancient Europe Placemarks] Google Earth file downloads.

{{Neolithic Europe}}
{{European Standing Stones| state=expanded}}
{{Prehistoric technology}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Menhirs| ]]
[[Category:Megalithic monuments]]
[[Category:Sacred rocks]]
[[Category:Stone monuments and memorials]]
[[Category:Stone Age Europe]]