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Prehistory |
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A family stroll through prehistory in the Pyrenees
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One of my favourite short walks in the Cerdagne is a five-kilometre balade néolithique, or Stone Age stroll, around the village of Eyne. As well as fine views of the Pyrenees, visitors of all ages will be astonished to discover such a wide range of ancient monuments in such a short distance. To help make sense of it all, the tourist office has erected a well-written and nicely-illustrated information board at each of nine stops along the route. a-family-stroll-through-prehistory-in-the-pyrenees.html
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Bison: the dominant theme in Pyrenean cave art
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This posts recounts a visit I made to La Ferme aux Bisons in the hope that a face-to-face encounter with a living, breathing bison might help me to understand why this beast inspired so many prehistoric artists. Curiously, the animals that were hunted the most often were not the same as the ones most frequently painted. bison-the-dominant-theme-in-pyrenean-cave-art.html
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Prehistoric caves of Occitanie 6: Caune de l’Arago and the Tautavel museum of prehistory
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The cave known as the Caune de l'Arago has given us the oldest human remain yet found in France (a child's tooth). But the greater part of its fame is due to Tautavel Man, the hunter who spent time here with his family 450,000 years ago, and parts of whose skull was dug up in 1971.prehistoric-caves-of-occitanie-6-caune-de-larago-and-the-tautavel-museum-of-prehistory.html
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Prehistoric caves of Occitanie 5: Grotte de Mas d’Azil
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The most astonishing aspect of the Grotte de Mas d’Azil is that you can drive right through it on the D119. Although the road seems out of place, its construction in the 1850s was the first step towards the discovery of the cavern’s archaeological importance. prehistoric-caves-of-occitanie-5-grotte-de-mas-dazil.html
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Prehistoric caves of Occitanie 4: Grotte de Gargas
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If you want to see prehistoric handprints made by men, women and children, the Grotte de Gargas is the best place in the world.prehistoric-caves-of-occitanie-4-grotte-de-gargas.html
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Prehistoric caves of Occitanie 3: Grotte de Bédeilhac
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At first sight, the Grotte de Bédeilhac does little to evoke thoughts of prehistory. A wide concrete floor leads through the cavernous entrance and melts away into darkness. In the half-light, a small aircraft offers a misleading clue to the origins of this unusual surface.prehistoric-caves-of-occitanie-3-grotte-de-bedeilhac.html
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Prehistoric caves of Occitanie 2: Grotte de Niaux
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The Grotte de Niaux on the outskirts of Tarascon-sur-Ariège is famous for its prehistoric paintings of bison, deer, ibex, horses and even a fish.prehistoric-caves-of-occitanie-2-grotte-de-niaux.html
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Prehistoric caves of Occitanie 1: Grotte d’Aurignac
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Aurignac is an unpretentious cave barely the size of my garage, but it has played an outsized role in the development of prehistory as a scientific discipline, and it gave its name to the oldest modern human culture in Europe.prehistoric-caves-of-occitanie-1-grotte-daurignac.html
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