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Origin and history

The Reverbit shelter is part of the prehistoric site of Castel Merle (or Castermerle), a group of rock shelters located in the valley of the Roches, in the commune of Sergeac in the Dordogne. This valley, once crossed by a creek now extinct, is framed by two cliffs less than 100 metres apart, each housing six cavities occupied successively by Neanderthalians and Homo sapiens (Cro-Magnon). Archaeological excavations, initiated in 1878, revealed an exceptional concentration of prehistoric habitats, protected by the collapse of the vaults at the end of the last glaciation.

The Reverdit shelter was discovered in 1878 by A. Reverdit, then searched between 1911 and 1912 by Marcel Castanet and F. Delage. In 1923, Marcel Castanet discovered a frieze carved in bas-relief representing a horse, two bison and a bear head, attributed to the Aurignacian period (about -35 000 years). These sculptures, among the oldest known, illustrate the furniture and parietal art of the first modern populations in Europe. It was classified as a Historical Monument on July 5, 1924 for its archaeological and artistic value.

The Castel Merle site, of which the Reverbit shelter is part, is a major testimony of prehistoric life in the valley of the Vézère, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Neighboring shelters, such as Blanchard (rich in bone industry and trimmings) or Castanet (engraved plate dated -37 000 years), complete this painting with an intense human occupation during the Upper Paleolithic. The remains discovered — flint, engraved blocks, chas needles — cover the Aurignacian, gravetian, solutrean and magdalenian periods, reflecting the cultural and technical evolution of hunter-gatherer societies.

Historical excavations, carried out by Marcel Castanet (1911–1913) and taken over by Randall White from 1995 onwards, have helped to reconstruct the occupants' lifestyles. The Reverbit shelter, like the other valley cavities, provides clues on symbolic practices (art, trimmings) and subsistence techniques (flex tools, wildlife remains). In 2025, the site will join the "Prehistoric Art Routes", a European network featuring 160 attractive sites for their Paleolithic heritage.

Today, the Reverbit shelter and the Castel Merle valley are open for the visit, with a museum exhibiting objects from the excavations, including Aurignacian and Magdalenian necklaces among the oldest in Europe. The conservation of bas-reliefs and archaeological remains a major challenge, while current research (such as that of Brigitte Delluc or Randall White) continues to inform the history of this "prehistoric village" unique in Aquitaine.

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