Gisement solutréen du Malpas
MonumentHidden Treasure
Gisement solutréen du Malpas, located in Bourniquel (Dordogne), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Bourniquel, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.7971, 0.7578
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082400
A major Solutrean site in Périgord, the Malpas de Bourniquel reveals the secrets of a lithic industry of rare elegance, fashioned over 20,000 years ago in the heart of the Couze valley.
History
Nestling in the limestone landscapes of the Périgord Noir, on the edge of the Couze Palemie valley, the Solutrean site at Malpas is one of the most precious testimonies to the Upper Palaeolithic in the Dordogne. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1927, this archaeological site is part of a region exceptionally rich in prehistoric remains, between Lascaux to the north and the ornate shelters on the banks of the Vézère to the north-west, reminding us that the Périgord was indeed the cradle of creative humanity in Western Europe. What sets Malpas apart from the countless other prehistoric sites in the region is that it belongs to the Solutrean culture, a Palaeolithic civilisation with a technical sophistication unrivalled for its time. Between 22,000 and 17,000 BC, Solutrean craftsmen mastered flint knapping to a degree of perfection that many archaeologists would not hesitate to describe as artistic: paper-thin laurel and willow leaves are the hallmarks of this culture. Visiting Malpas means venturing into an unspoilt natural environment, where the limestone geology of the Périgord limestone plateaux provides a striking backdrop. The rocky outcrops and micro-reliefs evoke the conditions in which these groups of hunter-gatherers lived, faced with the rigours of the last glacial maximum. The vegetation of scrubland and downy oak that covers the site today contributes to an atmosphere conducive to meditation on the distant origins of the human adventure. For archaeology enthusiasts and those with a deep interest in history, the Malpas site is a must-see on any itinerary devoted to the prehistory of the Périgord. Combine it with a visit to the surrounding museums and decorated caves - the Musée national de Préhistoire in Les Eyzies or the Pech Merle cave in neighbouring Quercy - and you have a vivid picture of the intellectual and technical splendour of our Palaeolithic ancestors.
Architecture
As an open-air prehistoric site, Malpas has no architecture in the conventional sense of the term. Instead, its 'structure' is what the geology has created: Cretaceous limestone formations typical of the Périgord limestone plateaux, offering rock shelters, overhangs and natural depressions that provided living, working and perhaps ritual spaces for Solutrean groups. The site's limestone substratum is characteristic of the dominant geological facies between the Dordogne and Lot rivers: soft limestone, easily eroded by run-off water, creating landscapes of small limestone plateaux cut by dry valleys and combes. This particular geology played a decisive role in the choice of settlement by prehistoric groups, who sought proximity to flint sources, exposure to the sun from the rock faces and surveillance of the migration corridors of the large herbivores - reindeer, horses and bison - on which they depended for their livelihood. The material remains characteristic of the Perigordian Solutrean include concentrations of cut flint, hearths, bones of hunted fauna and sometimes remains of mineral dyes. The spatial layout of these features, when they can be reconstructed by excavation, reveals a precise functional organisation of activity areas, testifying to a remarkable adaptation to the periglacial environment of the last glacial maximum.
Related Figures
Édouard Lartet — paléontologue pionnier dont les travaux dans les années 1860 ouvrirent la voie à l'exploration systématique des gisements préhistoriques périgordinsHenry Christy — ethnologue et banquier britannique, co-explorateur de Lartet, qui finança les fouilles fondatrices dans la vallée de la VézèreGabriel de Mortillet — préhistorien qui établit les premières classifications des cultures paléolithiques et reconnut la spécificité du Solutréen comme entité culturelle autonomeHenri Breuil — abbé et préhistorien de renommée mondiale, acteur majeur de l'étude du Paléolithique supérieur en Périgord au début du XXe siècleDenis Peyrony — préhistorien périgourdin dont les travaux de terrain dans la première moitié du XXe siècle documentèrent des dizaines de gisements de la Dordogne, contribuant au contexte de protection des sites dont le Malpas bénéficia
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Gisement solutréen du Malpas located?
Gisement solutréen du Malpas is located in Bourniquel, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
Is Gisement solutréen du Malpas open to visitors?
Gisement solutréen du Malpas is currently closed to visitors.