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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Normandie
  4. Seine-Maritime
  5. 76520 Gouy

  6. Gouy Prehistoric Cave

 Gouy Prehistoric Cave en Seine-Maritime

Patrimoine classé
Vestiges préhistoriques
Grotte
Grotte préhistorique
Seine-Maritime

Gouy Prehistoric Cave

    Route de Paris
    76520 Gouy
Photo de Gouy Prehistoric Cave
Crédit photo : Frédéric BISSON - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Antiquité
Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
100
200
…
1800
1900
2000
12 050 ± 130 ans BP
Absolute date
1881
First discovery
1934-1935
Change of entry
1956
Official Rediscovery
11 mai 1959
Historical Monument
1972
Inventory of engravings
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The prehistoric cave (cad. A 136 2nd sheet): classification by decree of 11 May 1959

Key figures

Yves Martin - Prehistory Rediscoverer and principal student of the site.
Pierre Martin - Topic Explorer Brother of Yves, co-discoverer in 1956.
Henri Breuil - Abbé and Prehistorian Initiator of the classification in 1959.
Maurice-Jacques Graindor - Archaeologist Author of major studies on Gouy.

Origin and history

Gouy Cave, also known as the Cheval Cave, is located 10 km from Rouen (Seine-Maritime), in the commune of Gouy, on the edge of RD 6015. It was discovered in 1881 by two inhabitants who left an inscription there dated, but never spoke of it. The entrance was shortened in 1934-1935 during the work of RN 15, then rediscovered in 1956 by the brothers Pierre and Yves Martin, the latter becoming prehistorian.

In 1972, 37 engravings of the Upper Paleolithic (Magdalenian and Magdaleno-Azien) were recorded: 18 animals (horses, horns, a raptor), 8 vulva, and various geometric signs. Absolute dating (12,050 ± 130 years BP) confirmed human use at that time. These works illustrate the transition between Magdalenian and Azilian, a pivotal period marked by climate and cultural change.

Classified Historic Monument on May 11, 1959 at the request of Henri Breuil, the cave is now closed to the public due to natural (infiltration, roots) and anthropogenic degradations. Its entrance, cemented and protected by a metal door, is not reported. Close to other sites such as the cave at Les Moines (destroyed) and that of Orival, Gouy bears witness to a northern Magdalenian occupation in the Seine valley.

Gouy's engravings, among the northernmost in Europe, reveal a community probably linked to the Paris Basin. These groups were still hunting mammoths and woolly rhinoceros before their disappearance, marking the end of the Upper Paleolithic in the region. The cave, studied by Maurice-Jacques Graindor and Yves Martin, remains a fragile testimony of this time.

Later excavations and analyses (notably by Yves Martin) highlighted paintings and bas-reliefs, including an unprecedented female silhouette. Despite its precarious state, the site retains a major scientific value to understand parietal art and prehistoric lifestyles in Normandy.

Future

Gouy's Cave is closed to the public. Its entrance, cemented and closed by a metal door on the edge of the former RN 15 is not reported.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum