Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Pataud shelter, located in the Dordogne at the foot of the cliff overlooking the village of Eyzies-de-Tayac, is a major site of the Upper Paleolithic. He delivered characteristic lithic tools (Aurignacian, Gravettien, Solutreen) as well as parietal art fragments, now altered by weather. The site has been owned since 1958 by the National Museum of Natural History, after being systematically searched by international teams.

Systematic excavations began in 1953 under the direction of American prehistorian Hallam Movius, pioneer of carbon 14 dating in archaeology. Movius and his team have established a rigorous and documented grid of stratigraphic levels covering the ancient Aurignacian in the Solutrean. Their work, compiled later by Harvey M. Bricker, revealed a continuous human occupation, marked by the discovery of a Neanderthal biface reused 85 000 years later by Cro-Magnon.

The site also delivered the bones of six individuals as well as 2,000 fragments of paintings and engravings, saved in extremis from natural degradation. Ranked a historic monument in 1930 and extended in 1958, the Pataud shelter illustrates the cultural transitions of Paleolithic. Since 1990, a museum space (Movius Shelter) has presented the results of the excavations to the public, while research continues to refine the understanding of these successive occupations.

The exceptional stratigraphy of the site, with its superimposed levels (Ancient and Recent Aurignacian, Gravettien Final, Solutreen), makes it a reference for the study of prehistoric cultures in Western Europe. The emblematic objects, such as the sculpted Venus or the Soluterean bouquetin, underline the artistic and symbolic importance of the place. The French excavation campaigns after Movius allowed to refine the dates and cultural interpretations, thanks in particular to Bruno Bosselin's work on the Gravettien.

The Pataud shelter testifies to the interactions between human groups (Neandertalians and Cro-Magnon) and the evolution of techniques over nearly 100,000 years. Its acquisition by the National Museum of Natural History guaranteed the preservation and scientific study of this heritage, while allowing its educational valorization. The site is part of a wider set of caves and shelters in the Vézère Valley, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its exceptional density of prehistoric sites.

Future

Since 1990, the site has been designed to accommodate visitors. Under the direction of Henry de Lumley, assisted by Brigitte Delluc, a site museum was set up and closed the visit by presenting some of the results of the excavations.

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