ABSTRACT
A few places acquired very early an emotional significance which they have retained despite the vicissitudes of history. They are called in French the hauts lieux of civilization, a term denoting that they symbolize spiritual values which have marked the ascent of humankind. Prehistoric humankind created the stupendous megalithic structures of Northwestern Europe as well as the colossal enigmatic statues of Easter Island. The urge to create monuments having chiefly a symbolic value has continued throughout history. A prodigious collective social effort was also required for the construction of the megalithic monuments. The nonutilitarian aspects of human life are so universal and so ancient that they must correspond to a psychological necessity. Hauts lieux and monuments may indeed derive a truly biological value from the fact that they symbolize the memories and aspirations of the social group, thus contributing to its integration in space and in time.
