Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée de Préhistoire des gorges du Verdon was created to enhance the archaeological discoveries made between 1957 and 1971 during the preventive excavations carried out before the construction of the hydroelectric dams of EDF in the Verdon. This research, led by Henry de Lumley, Jean Courtin and Charles Lagrand (CNRS), revealed some 60 prehistoric deposits, providing exceptional archaeological furniture and key data on Provencal populations from Paleolithic to Bronze Age. The scientific importance of these collections led the General Council of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence to initiate the creation of the museum, inaugurated in 2001.

The museum project was launched in 1986 by two Quinson City Councillors, with the support of Henry de Lumley, who launched the excavations at the Baume Bonne in 1988. In 1990, the General Council unanimously approved the creation of the museum, entrusting its design to architect Norman Foster (a partner of the museumographer Bruno Chiambretto) after a contest won in 1992. The first stone was laid in 1997, thanks to joint funding from the department, the state, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, Europe and other partners. The museum opened on April 28, 2001, under the direction of Jean Gagnepain.

The building, of oblong shape (120 meters long), integrates into the Verdon Regional Natural Park with a modern architecture marked by a set of concave and convex curves. Its central atrium, created between these curves, serves as a reception hall. The permanent collection traces a million years of human history in Provence, from the formation of the gorges of Verdon to the Roman conquest, through about twenty museum spaces. The exhibits are from the excavations of 60 local sites, dating from the Paleolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age.

The museum is part of a scientific and tourist network including the Cave of the Baume Bonne, classified as a historical monument since 1992, which attests to a human occupation for 400,000 years. A reconstructed prehistoric village (with habitats inspired by Terra Amata or the Upper Paleolithic) and a research centre complete the offer. The museum also offers temporary exhibitions, such as a gallery dedicated to a prehistoric herd (mammouths, woolly rhinoceros, megaceros), and educational workshops for all audiences. Labelled Tourism & Handicap and ISO 9001 certified, it is open from February to December.

The gorges of the Verdon, inhabited since the Paleolithic, remain a major study ground. Although the Baume Bonne is a key site, the great canyon of Verdon has never been systematically explored. The museum thus plays an active role in relaunching archaeological research, welcoming researchers and students in its laboratories dedicated to geology and paleoenvironments. Its educational service provides year-round visits and workshops, except on Tuesdays (excluding school holidays and July-August).

Collection

Plus de 350 000 objets préhistoriques sont présentés dans le musée sur les différents Âges (Paléolithique, Néolithique etc...) et la vie quotidienne des peuplades préhistoriques.

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