Pierre d’Oblicamp

The pierre d'Oblicamp is a menhir in the commune of Bavelincourt, in the Somme department, in the Hauts-de-France region of France. It stands about 1.5 km from the village, on the plateau that separates the valleys of the Hallue and the Ancre. It was classified as a historic monument by a decree of 5 January 1970.

The menhir is oriented north-west to south-east. It stands 2.40 m above ground, with a width of 1.80 m and a thickness of 0.30 to 0.40 m. It is said to be sunk to a depth of 1.25 m. The south-east face is more or less smooth, while the other face is more irregular.

Popular tradition holds that fairies and sorcerers gathered near the stone, and that on certain days of the year the stone grows, speaks and dances.

Nothing is recorded here about excavations or about who raised the stone, so its purpose is not known. Its dating is only a typological estimate between 2800 and 1800 BCE.

A menhir is a large upright stone placed by humans. The word comes from the Breton maen and hir, meaning long stone. Menhirs are most numerous in Western Europe, and standing stones of this kind often attract tales of the supernatural, as this one does.

Pierre d’Oblicamp is a menhir (standing stone) in Bavelincourt, France. A typological estimate: 2800 BCE to 1800 BCE. No English Wikipedia article exists for it; the full text below is the French article "Pierre d'Oblicamp", shown in the original language.