Pierre de Couhard

The pyramid of Couhard is an ancient monument standing near the ancient necropolis of "Champ des Urnes". This pyramid, which overlooks the town of Autun, was probably built in the 1st century AD. The monument consists of the remains of a pyramid with a square base, 10.50 m on each side and 22.65 m high. The monument does not contain an inner chamber. The pyramid stood in one of the large necropolises of the Roman city of Augustodunum, the ancient Autun: the cemeteries of all Roman cities were always located outside the city walls. The Couhard pyramid, the interpretation of which has given rise to much controversy, was therefore most probably a funerary monument: a tomb covering the remains of a deceased person, or a cenotaph celebrating his memory.