Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Forum de l'Aurignacien Museum originated in an accidental discovery in 1852. Jean-Baptiste Bonnemaison, by removing bones from a rabbit burrow, reveals the entrance of a shelter under rock. This site reveals a collective burial and remains of animals now extinct, marking the beginning of local archaeological research.

In 1860, Édouard Lartet undertook systematic excavations of the Aurignac shelter, confirming its scientific importance. This work, combined with an intense scientific debate, led in 1906 to the attribution of the Aurignacian name to a major prehistoric culture, making the city eponymous of this pivotal period of Prehistory.

The international reputation of the site led, in 1969, to the creation of a first dedicated museum. An ambitious project was launched in 2006 with the construction of a new building, inaugurated in 2015. This modern museum, located at the southern entrance of Aurignac, is distinguished by didactic museumography and contemporary architecture, including a vegetated roof terrace.

The museum houses an archaeological collection specialized in prehistory, with a focus on Aurignacian artifacts. It benefits from the label Musée de France and establishes itself as a key place to understand the origins of humanity in Europe, while integrating into the urban landscape of Aurignac.

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