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They are megaliths – a sophisticated name for stone structures moved and placed upright by human beings. “They are often found together, in rows or in circles. There are menhirs all over the world, erected by different cultures and in different periods, from prehistory to the 19th century. Originally, they were used for ceremonial, religious, funereal uses and for the demarcation of territory”, says historian Johnni Langer, from the University of Paraná (Unespar). In Brazil, the most famous set is in Monte Alto, in the south of Bahia, with almost 400 blocks lined up over a length of 1 kilometer. “The researchers’ conclusion is that they served the indigenous people as a seasonal and astronomical calendar, controlling the agricultural seasons”, says Johnni. But despite archaeological theories that try to explain their function and meaning, the menhirs remain shrouded in mystery.
All of them have technical or architectural features in common, which suggests the hypothesis that the people responsible for spreading such megaliths around the world came to dominate or, at least, influence populations in various regions of the planet. These pieces became famous in the 20th century thanks to the Asterix comics, in which the character Obelix is always carrying menhirs from one place to another.