page_title: Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley
section_title: Rock shelters
hierarchical_section_title: Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley / Sites included in the UNESCO listing / Rock shelters
caption_attribution_description: English: Drawing of the Vénus impudique, from a 1907 book.
context_page_description: The Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in France since 1979. It specifically lists 15 prehistoric sites in the Vézère valley in the Dordogne department, mostly in and around Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, which has been called the "Capital of Prehistory". This valley is exceptionally rich in prehistoric sites, with more than 150 known sites including 25 decorated caves, and has played an essential role in the study of the paleolithicum and its art. Three of the sites are the namesakes for prehistoric periods; the Micoquien, Mousterian, and Magdalenian. Furthermore, the Cro-Magnon rock shelter gave its name to the Cro-Magnon, the generic name for the European early modern humans. Many of the sites were discovered or first recognised as significant and scientifically explored by the archaeologues Henri Breuil and Denis Peyrony in the early twentieth century, while Lascaux, which has the most exceptional rock art of these, was discovered in 1940.
  The decorated caves in the region were instrumental in ending the debate about the nature of prehistoric art, which was still considered by many to be modern fakes.
context_section_description: Cro-Magnon rock shelter, in Les Eyzies. The finds date to the Aurignacian. The site was discovered in 1868: remains of 5 humans (4 adults and a child) were found, dated to about 28,000 years ago. Seen as distinct from the recently discovered Neanderthals and as a precursor of modern man, the term "Cro-Magnon" was soon used to indicate all prehistoric modern men in Europe.
  La Micoque, in Les Eyzies. It gave its name to the Micoquien, and was also the first place where the Tayacian was recognised as a separate industry. This archaeological site was discovered in 1895 and has been the location of many excavations since. La Micoque is the site of some of the oldest traces of human presence in the region, dating back to approximately 450,000 years ago. The different layers, together some 10 metres high, are indicative of intermittent habitation here over a period of some 300,000 years.
  Laugerie-Basse, a 15 metre deep shelter in Les Eyzies. It has some art from the Magdalenian, and was inhabited from ca. 14,000 years ago.. The first excavations started here in 1863, but a more scientific approach was only taken from 1912 on. It has been completely excavated since, while the nearby contemporary Abri de Marseille (some 40 metres distant) still contains original material. In 1864 Paul Hurault, 8th Marquis de Vibraye found here the Vénus impudique, the first of many finds of a Paleolithic Venus figurine.
  Laugerie-Haute, in Les Eyzies, not far from Laugerie Basse. This 200 metres long shelter was inhabited from about 24,000 years ago until 15,000 years ago, and was first excavated in 1863. Stretching from the rock face to the river, it is one of the largest sites of the region.
  Cap Blanc rock shelter, in Marquay; discovered in 1908, this 15 metres long shelter has a 13m long, 2 metres high, and up to 30 cm deep relief frieze of animals, including 10 horses and some bison. It was originally coloured with red ochre and presumably other colours, but due to excavation errors it is now almost completely uncoloured. On the floor a single human skeleton of the so-called Magdalenian Girl was discovered in 1911.
  Le Moustier is a group of two rock shelters in Peyzac-le-Moustier. Excavations started in 1863. Many tools found here which were instrumental in defining the Mousterian period, lasting from ca. 160,000 years ago until ca. 40,000 years ago. In 1908 a Neanderthal skull was found here as well: it is thought to be about 45,000 years old.
  Abri de la Madeleine, in Tursac, was the type site for the Magdalenian period, ranging from about 17,000 to about 12,000 years ago. First discoevered in 1863 and roughly excavated in the following years, it was in 1921-1922 again studied, more scientifically this time, by Dennis Peyrony. On the site has been found a buried child of around three years old, dating to about 10,000 years ago, with a robe decorated with more than 1,000 small shells, called the Enfant de la Madeleine. Some sculpted reindeer bone spear-throwers have also been found here, including the Bison Licking Insect Bite. Extensive medieval troglodyte ruins remain at the same place but higher above the river.
caption: Venus impudique (1907 drawing), found in 1864 at Laugerie-Basse
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