Prehistoric Sites in the Dordogne, Vézère Valley
Lascaux Caves, Les Eyzies Stone Age Shelters, Prehistory Museum
Apr 11, 2009
The first excavations in 1863 revealed the key to 200 000 years of prehistory in the Dordogne. Almost 200 sites have been discovered since those early days, including a number of Stone Age shelters with unrivalled wall paintings, engravings and sculpture. From Lascaux to Les Eyzies, the caves and rock shelters of the Vézère Valley offer a journey back in time, further enriched by a visit to the National Museum of Prehistory and nearby prehistoric parks.
The prehistoric sites of the Dordogne are popular attractions and at the height of season, it is best to buy a Lascaux ticket a day in advance. This can be combined with entry to the nearby Cro-magnon prehistoric park in Le Thot.
Prehistoric Site in the Dordogne, Painted Lascaux Caves
The painted Lascaux caves were discovered in 1940 by local lads looking for their dog. Stretching for 200 metres near the village of Montignac, the caves were endangered by large crowds and closed in 1963. Lascaux II opened twenty years later, an underground replica of the main galleries, using the same natural pigments and material.
The Painted Gallery and the Great Hall of Bulls on view in Lascaux II represent 90% of the original paintings. These include enigmatic symbols but most are realistic images of animals such as bulls, horses, deer and ibex.
Les Eyzies, Stone Age Shelters and Caves
South of Lascaux, a large number of caves and rock shelters can be explored around Les Eyzies. Among the Stone Age shelters are the Abri du Poisson, showing one of the oldest fish images, and the Abri du Cap Blanc, small but praised for its magnificent three dimensional frieze representing horses.
Animal paintings and engravings are also present in the caves such as Font de Gaume, Combarelles, or Rouffignac visited by small electric train. Of special interest are the Grotte de Bara-Bahau and the Grotte du Sorcier. Besides its 15 000 year old images, the first shows bear scratches on the rock while the second displays animal and geometrical patterns and most unusually humans, including a sorcerer.
National Museum of Prehistory, Prehistoric Parks in the Vézère Valley
The National Museum of Prehistory in Les Eyzies offers a detailed overview, covering land, climate and the development of humankind from early footprints in Africa to reconstructed skeletons. The museum holds the world’s top collection of Paleolithic engraving and sculpture, alongside numerous archaeological finds, including stone and bone tools, depicting life in prehistoric times.
Two prehistoric theme parks in the Vézère Valley complete the picture, the Espace Cro-Magnon in Le Thot and the prehisto-parc in Tursac, both popular with families.
 |
 |
