Gisement préhistorique dit Abri Cellier au Ruth
MonumentHidden Treasure
Gisement préhistorique dit Abri Cellier au Ruth, located in Tursac (Dordogne), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Tursac, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.9921, 1.0539
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00083034
Carved into the rock more than 30,000 years ago, the abri Cellier au Ruth offers an exceptional testament to Aurignacian art: decorated blocks featuring animal figures and vulvas among the oldest in Europe.
History
Nestling in the limestone cliffs of the Vézère valley, at Tursac in the Dordogne, the Cellier au Ruth shelter is one of a constellation of prehistoric sites that have earned the region the title of "cradle of humanity". Listed as a Historic Monument since 1927, this Upper Palaeolithic site bears witness to human occupation of the valley by Aurignacian groups some 30,000 to 35,000 years ago, at a time when modern Homo sapiens were slowly colonising Western Europe. What sets the Cellier shelter apart from other prehistoric wonders is the nature of its archaeological material: limestone blocks carved in situ and extracted during ancient excavations, decorated with animal representations - mammoths, aurochs, horses - as well as stylised female motifs, among the earliest symbolic manifestations known in Europe. These engravings, executed on the wall itself or on limestone plates, bear witness to a symbolic thought fully constituted from the very beginnings of the Aurignacian period. A visit to this site is an invitation to a form of silent contemplation. Unlike the large ornate caves open to the public, the Cellier shelter is an intimate space, a discreet rock overhang where the hand of the prehistoric artist can still be felt in the rough rock. Here, the attentive traveller perceives the very essence of the creative gesture, stripped of all museum trappings. The natural setting adds to the emotion: the Vézère Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the "Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley", offers a largely unspoilt forest and limestone environment, ideal for total immersion in time. Just a few kilometres away are Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, Lascaux and the Castanet shelter, all landmarks in an area where prehistory is not a museum but a living landscape.
Architecture
The Cellier au Ruth shelter is a natural rock shelter carved by erosion into the Cenomanian limestone cliffs characteristic of the Vézère valley. This type of geological formation, produced by the progressive dissolution of limestone by water and the mechanical action of frost, provided Palaeolithic populations with naturally vaulted shelters, generally facing south to benefit from maximum sunlight and protection from the prevailing northerly winds. The walls and collapsed floor blocks were the main medium for Aurignacian artistic expression: engravings were incised directly into them, sometimes exploiting the natural relief of the rock to give volume to the animal figures. The tools used - carved flint burins - left fine, precise lines, sometimes enhanced by scraping the limestone surface. Traces of red ochre can also be seen on some blocks, suggesting partial polychromy or ritual use of the mineral pigment. The site is notable for the presence of large limestone blocks bearing engravings on several faces, implying that these supports were intentionally manipulated and oriented by their makers. This phenomenon, shared with the neighbouring Castanet shelter, gives these sites a special status in the study of Aurignacian movable and cave art: the boundary between movable and cave art is deliberately blurred here, revealing a conceptual sophistication unsuspected in these early European artists.
Related Figures
Hommes aurignaciens — premiers artistes européens occupant l'abri entre 35 000 et 30 000 ans BPLouis Didon — préhistorien périgourdin ayant contribué aux premières fouilles du site au début du XXe siècleHenri Breuil — abbé et préhistorien, figure tutélaire de la préhistoire française ayant étudié les gisements de la vallée de la Vézère dans la même périodeDenis Peyrony — directeur du Musée des Eyzies et fouilleur majeur des abris périgordins contemporains de la découverte du siteRandall White — préhistorien américain ayant conduit des études comparatives sur l'art aurignacien de la Vézère, incluant les abris Cellier et Castanet
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Gisement préhistorique dit Abri Cellier au Ruth located?
Gisement préhistorique dit Abri Cellier au Ruth is located in Tursac, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
Is Gisement préhistorique dit Abri Cellier au Ruth open to visitors?
Gisement préhistorique dit Abri Cellier au Ruth is currently closed to visitors.