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Salpêtrière cave in Vers-Pont-du-Gard dans le Gard

Patrimoine classé
Vestiges préhistoriques
Grotte
Abris sous roche
Gard

Salpêtrière cave in Vers-Pont-du-Gard

    Avenue du Pont du Gard
    30210 Vers-Pont-du-Gard
Grotte de la Salpêtrière à Vers-Pont-du-Gard
Grotte de la Salpêtrière à Vers-Pont-du-Gard
Grotte de la Salpêtrière à Vers-Pont-du-Gard
Grotte de la Salpêtrière à Vers-Pont-du-Gard
Grotte de la Salpêtrière à Vers-Pont-du-Gard
Grotte de la Salpêtrière à Vers-Pont-du-Gard
Grotte de la Salpêtrière à Vers-Pont-du-Gard
Grotte de la Salpêtrière à Vers-Pont-du-Gard
Crédit photo : Garrigou - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Âge du Fer
Antiquité
Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
400 av. J.-C.
300 av. J.-C.
0
100
1800
1900
2000
16 050 à 9 700 av. J.-C. (Tardiglaciaire)
Ramage of antelope saïga
~19 000 ans avant le présent
Salpetrian culture
1872
Beginning of excavations
19 juin 1931
Historical Monument
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Prehistoric shelter of the Salpetrière: classification by decree of 19 June 1931

Key figures

Max Escalon de Fonton - Prehistory Defined the Salpetrian facies (1964).
G. Boccaccio - Archaeologist Studies on Solutrean and Salpetrian (2005).
Maryline Rillardon - Researcher Prehistoric Environmental Research (2010).
Henri Breuil - Abbé and Prehistorian Posthumous tribute in mixtures (1964).

Origin and history

The cave of La Salpêtrière is a deep rock shelter located in the commune of Remoulins, in the department of Gard (Occitanie region, formerly Languedoc-Roussillon). It is 200 metres downstream of the Pont du Gard, on the right bank, near the communal boundary with Vers-Pont-du-Gard. This site is famous for delivering one of the most complete stratigraphics of the Upper Paleolithic in the French Mediterranean, covering levels from the Aurignacian to the Chalcolithic. It is the eponymous site of the Salpetrian, a culture dated about 19,000 years before the present, identified by archaeological excavations.

The excavations, initiated in 1872, revealed successive human occupations: Aurignacian, Gravettien, Solutreen, Salpetrian, Magdalenian, Neolithic and Chalcolithic. Among the notable discoveries is a saïga (Saiga tatarica) twig associated with the Tardiglaciary (Würm IV, ~16,050 to 9,700 BC). These archaeological layers reflect a continuous and diversified occupation, reflecting the adaptations of human groups to climate and environmental change at the end of Prehistory.

The cave was classified as Historic Monuments on 19 June 1931, recognizing its scientific importance. It is not open to the public, thus preserving its integrity for future research. On-site studies, such as those of Max Escalon de Fonton or G. Boccaccio, have helped to define the technical characteristics of the upper Solutrean and Salpetrian lithic industries, highlighting the ruptures and continuitys between these prehistoric cultures.

The site is part of a karst landscape typical of Gardon gorges, close to other prehistoric remains. Its strategic location, close to a permanent water source (the Gardon) and rich hunting areas, explains its attraction for paleolithic groups. Recent research, such as the thesis by Maryline Rillardon (2010), has deepened the understanding of the livelihood strategies and environment of the last hunter-gatherers in the region, from the Upper Pleniglacial (20 000 years BP) to the climate optimum (8 000 years BP).

External links