Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Micoque deposit, located in the commune of Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil in Dordogne, is a prehistoric site emblematic of the ancient and medium Paleolithic. It was discovered in 1895 after a local owner reported to Pierre Fournier the presence of retouched stones. The excavations carried out by archaeologists like Louis Capitan, Édouard Harlé and Denis Peyrony in the late 19th century revealed unprecedented lithic industries, including the Tayacian and the Micoquian, two major prehistoric cultures. The site played a key role in understanding the contemporaneity of prehistoric cultures, once considered successive.

Research continued throughout the 20th century, with notable contributions from Otto Hauser, François Bordes, Henri Laville, and Jean-Philippe Rigaud. The excavations defined a complex stratigraphic sequence, divided into three sedimentary groups, the average set of which delivered the majority of the archaeological remains. The dates place these deposits between isotopic stages 12 and 10, approximately 480,000 to 335,000 B.C.E. The lithic industries, marked by tools such as bifaces, scrapers and denticles, bear witness to advanced techniques of size for the time.

The Micoque site has been classified as historical monuments since 1922 and is one of the fifteen "prehistoric sites and caves adorned with the Vézère Valley" listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1979. Today, it is protected but accessible, with conference tours organised by reservation. An information panel, installed by the International Prehistory Pole, marks a stage on the "Loop of the Micoque" trail, allowing visitors to discover this fundamental place for the study of European Prehistory.

The excavations also revealed that sedimentary deposits, formerly attributed to cryoclastic phenomena, were in fact alluvial deposits by streams. This discovery allowed for a better understanding of the environmental conditions of the period, particularly thanks to the presence of gastropods characteristic of temperate aquatic environments. Archaeological levels, although disturbed by post-positional phenomena, remain an invaluable source for studying the first human occupations in Europe.

Among the most significant artifacts are acheulean and mossterian tools, as well as careful bifaces typical of the Micoquian. These discoveries have redefined the chronologies and relationships between different prehistoric cultures. The site continues to be studied, with recent stratigraphic revisions, such as that published by Jean-Pierre Texier and Pascal Bertran in 1993, which refined the understanding of its sedimentary history and chronology.

Micoque is thus a reference point for archaeologists and historians, offering a unique insight into the lifestyles and technologies of hominids during the Paleolithic period. Its inscription in UNESCO and its classification as a historical monument underline its heritage and scientific importance, both nationally and internationally.

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