Gisement préhistorique de Laussel
MonumentHidden Treasure
Gisement préhistorique de Laussel, located in Marquay (Dordogne), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Marquay, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.9480, 1.1081
- Mérimée Reference
- PA24000059
Rupestrian sanctuary of the Périgord noir, Laussel conceals one of the oldest feminine representations in human history: the Vénus à la Corne, sculpted 25,000 years ago in limestone rock.
History
Nestling in the limestone cliffs of the Dordogne, a few kilometres from Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, the prehistoric site of Laussel is one of the most eloquent archaeological sites in the Périgord Noir. Set against a rock shelter overlooking the Beune valley, this Magdalenian sanctuary represents a fundamental milestone in our understanding of the earliest spiritual and artistic expressions of mankind. What sets Laussel apart from the multitude of other sites in the Périgord region is above all the exceptional concentration of bas-reliefs carved into the limestone wall. Among them, the famous Venus with a Horn - or Venus of Laussel - stands out as an absolute masterpiece of the Upper Palaeolithic. This 46-centimetre tall female figure, holding in her right hand a horned bison adorned with thirteen notches, is the embodiment of thousands of years of symbolism, perhaps linked to lunar cycles or the mysteries of fertility. A visit to Laussel is like returning to your origins: as you walk around the site, you can still feel the presence of the Gravettian hunter-gatherers who chose this shelter to inscribe their beliefs in stone. The low-angled light at the end of the day, accentuating the relief of the rock, restores something of the sacred atmosphere that these places must have inspired in their creators. The natural setting reinforces the emotion: the oak forests of the Périgord envelop the site in a silence conducive to contemplation, while the ochre cliffs are a reminder that this land was one of the first centres of human consciousness. Laussel is part of an exceptional archaeological triangle, along with Lascaux and Les Combarelles, making this region a veritable open-air museum of the world's prehistory.
Architecture
Laussel is not a building in the conventional sense of the term, but a natural rock shelter carved out of the Périgord Noir limestone cliffs by erosion, typical of the Cretaceous geological formations that dominate the Beune valley. This shelter, favourably oriented to benefit from the sunshine and protection from the prevailing winds, offers a living area of several dozen square metres, typical of the large seasonal camps of the Upper Palaeolithic. The chalky limestone walls have a relatively soft surface that lends itself ideally to bas-relief carving, a technique that is distinct from cave painting and requires advanced technical mastery. Laussel's figures are carved flat, with a supple modelling that betrays a perfect knowledge of human and animal anatomy. The regular notches on the horn held by the Venus bear witness to an almost mathematical rigour in the execution. Beneath the sedimentary accumulation, the floor of the deposit reveals hearths, carved flint tools and bones of hunted fauna - reindeer, bison, horse - that reveal the daily life of the occupants. Together, they form a precious archaeological palimpsest, in which each sedimentary layer represents a page of human history inscribed in the limestone soil of Périgord.
Related Figures
Gaston Lalanne — médecin et préhistorien périgourdin, principal fouilleur du site entre 1908 et 1914, découvreur de la Vénus à la CorneDenis Peyrony — préhistorien et conservateur des Eyzies, contemporain de Lalanne, qui contribua à contextualiser scientifiquement les découvertes de LausselHenri Breuil — abbé et autorité mondiale de la préhistoire, qui étudia et diffusa la connaissance des sites ornés du Périgord dont LausselAndré Leroi-Gourhan — préhistorien et ethnologue français dont les travaux sur l'art pariétal éclairent la symbolique des figures féminines paléolithiquesMarcellin Boule — paléontologue qui, dans les années 1910, contribua à l'analyse comparative des découvertes périgordiennes
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Gisement préhistorique de Laussel located?
Gisement préhistorique de Laussel is located in Marquay, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
Is Gisement préhistorique de Laussel open to visitors?
Gisement préhistorique de Laussel is currently closed to visitors.