Chemin aux Ânes

Deep in the archives of Montmartre’s history lies a tale of academicians and donkeys. Our story centers around the Chemin aux Ânes, a seemingly unassuming path that once sparked a scholarly debate. It was 1779, near the Fontaine du But, when researchers stumbled upon an ancient stone. This stone, etched with the inscription “I C ILEC HEM INDE SANES”, became the focus of intense scrutiny. The academicians of inscriptions and belles lettres were called upon to decipher the enigmatic message. They formed commissions and poured over the inscription, convinced it held the key to some fascinating ancient history. Theories abounded, suggesting the inscription was in a long-lost language, perhaps as complex as Egyptian hieroglyphs or Mesopotamian cuneiform. The quest was on for a Montmartre Champollion to crack the code of the Chemin aux Ânes. However, as the scholars toiled, a local miller stepped forward. He glanced at the stone, chuckled, and rearranged the letters. “C’est ici le chemin des ânes,” he declared. “This is the path where donkeys carried grain to the mills.” The inscription was a simple direction, not a hidden historical narrative. The academicians were left speechless, Paris erupted in laughter, and Montmartre, it seems, held onto a bit of a grudge. The Chemin aux Ânes, therefore, reminds us that sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one. And, it provides a humorous anecdote about the scholars who overcomplicated a straightforward message.