Gisement préhistorique
MonumentHidden Treasure
Gisement préhistorique, located in Saint-Avit-Sénieur (Dordogne), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Saint-Avit-Sénieur, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.7527, 0.8502
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082810
At the gateway to the Périgord Noir, this prehistoric site of Saint-Avit-Sénieur yields remains from the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic, exceptional witnesses to the first humans who populated the valley of the Couze.
History
Nestled in the gently rolling landscape of the Périgord Pourpre, a few kilometres from Bergerac, the prehistoric site of Saint-Avit-Sénieur is one of those discreet yet fundamental places where human history takes on a breathtaking depth. Listed as a Monument Historique as early as 1946 and 1947, this archaeological site offers a window onto tens of thousands of years of human occupation, from the Neanderthal hunters of the Middle Palaeolithic to the Homo sapiens of the Upper Palaeolithic. What makes this site singular is the stratigraphic layering of its sedimentary strata, a veritable natural archive of human behaviour, flint-knapping techniques, and hunting practices in this region between 30,000 and 100,000 years ago. Excavations carried out at the site have brought to light lithic tools characteristic of Mousterian and Aurignaco-Périgordian cultures, revealing a remarkable continuity of occupation in this part of the Dordogne. A visit to this type of archaeological site is intended above all for enthusiasts of prehistory and archaeology, as well as for families keen to pass on to younger generations a sense of our origins. Here one becomes fully aware that the Périgord is not merely the land of medieval châteaux and bastides: it is first and foremost one of the cradles of European humanity, a natural sanctuary where Stone and Time have preserved the traces of the continent's earliest inhabitants. The natural setting surrounding the site contributes to the unique atmosphere of the place. The limestone causses, the oak woods, and the small rivers of the Périgord Pourpre form an environment that, for the most part, is not so far removed from that known to prehistoric man. Nearby also stands the medieval village of Saint-Avit-Sénieur, with its imposing Romanesque abbey church, offering the visitor a fascinating dialogue between several millennia of human presence across this same territory.
Architecture
As a prehistoric site, Saint-Avit-Sénieur presents no constructed architecture in the usual sense of the term, yet its geological configuration constitutes in itself a remarkable structure. The site most likely developed as a rock shelter or open-air deposit on a limestone slope, typical of the Périgord geomorphology derived from the Cretaceous formations of the Campanian and Santonian stages. These white to grey limestones, as they broke down under the effect of the freeze-thaw cycles of the glacial periods, generated scree and sedimentary infill that sealed and preserved the archaeological layers. The stratigraphy of the site constitutes its true architecture: a succession of sedimentary layers — silts, clays, gravels — in which the various periods of human occupation are recorded like the pages of a book. Each archaeological horizon yields its characteristic evidence: knapping flakes, cores, shaped tools, burnt or cut bones, and charcoal from domestic hearths. The total depth of the deposits can reach several metres on this type of Périgord site. The immediate natural environment of the site, shaped by the erosion of the limestone plateaux and the incision of the valley of the Couze, contributes to our understanding of why Palaeolithic groups chose to settle here: a favourable aspect, proximity to a watercourse, and a commanding position over a hunting territory. These topographical features, unchanged since prehistoric times, constitute the most visible and most immediately perceptible aspect of this exceptional heritage.
Related Figures
Édouard Lartet — paléontologue pionnier des fouilles préhistoriques périgordines au XIXe siècleGabriel de Mortillet — préhistorien qui systématisa la classification des industries paléolithiques du PérigordDenis Peyrony — archéologue et conservateur des Eyzies qui explora et documenta de nombreux gisements de la région au début du XXe siècleHenri Breuil — abbé et préhistorien de renommée mondiale qui inventoria le patrimoine paléolithique du PérigordAndré Cheynier — archéologue régional actif dans le recensement et la protection des sites préhistoriques de Dordogne dans les années 1940
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Gisement préhistorique located?
Gisement préhistorique is located in Saint-Avit-Sénieur, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
Is Gisement préhistorique open to visitors?
Gisement préhistorique is currently closed to visitors.