Menhir

A menhir (French, from Middle Breton : men, stone + hir, long) is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably; but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top. Menhirs are widely distributed across Europe, Africa and Asia, but are most numerous in Western Europe; in particular in Ireland, Great Britain and Brittany. There are about 50,000 megaliths in these areas, while in northwest France alone there are 1,200 menhirs. They originate from many different periods across pre-history, and were erected as part of a larger megalithic culture that flourished in Europe and beyond.