menhir

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Prehistoric tall, upright stone monument or megalith. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths or in groups. They have a wide geographical distribution in the Americas (mainly as monoliths), and in Europe, Asia, and Africa, and belong to many different periods. Most European examples were erected in the late Neolithic (New Stone Age) or early Bronze Age.

The menhirs at Carnac in Brittany, northwestern France, are particularly impressive, one example standing about 10 m/39 ft high. In nearby Morbihan, Le Grand Menhir Brisé once stood almost 21 m/68 ft high.

In the British Isles, standing stones in England include the Devil's Arrows, Boroughbridge, West Yorkshire, and the Five Kings, Upper Coquerdale, Northumberland; and in Wales, Harold's Stones, Trelleck, Gwent. Numerous Irish examples, known as goulaun, gallan, dallan, or liagan, were built from the Neolithic to the early Christian period. In Scotland, groups of menhirs are often called cat stones, from Gaelic cath ‘a battle’.