Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Paleosite de Saint-Césaire is a centre dedicated to Prehistory, located near the archaeological site of La Roche in Pierrot, where was discovered in 1979 the skeleton of a Neandertalian woman named "Pierrette". This 40,000-year-old deposit has disrupted knowledge of prehistoric cultures, notably by revealing tools associated with Neandertal and not Homo sapiens as originally assumed. The centre, inaugurated in 2005, was designed under the leadership of leading scientists such as Yves Coppens and Bernard Vandermeersch.

The Paleosite offers an immersive course combining indoor exposures, exterior reconstitutions (camps, life-size animals) and practical animations (s flint size, propellant shot). It also values the site of La Roche in Pierrot, where excavations, directed since 2015 by Isabelle Crèvecoeur, continue. The centre is managed by the Department of Charente-Maritime, first via Sogecia and then by Alfran since 2023.

The indoor journey includes thematic rooms (comparative morphology, site discovery) and a video circuit, including a documentary on prehistoric women using images from the game Far Cry Primal. Outside, a 10-hectare park features scenery from the film Ao, the latest Neandertal and interactive workshops. The Paleosite also organises events such as European Heritage Days or monthly scientific conferences.

The discovery of "Pierrette" marked a turning point in Neandertal's study, revealing his association with Mosterian tools rather than Chatelperronians, as originally interpreted. This site, now internationally recognized, justified the creation of Paleosite to raise public awareness of Prehistory. The centre is open to all, from families to researchers, with innovative educational tools such as virtual reality or an escape game inspired by Yves Coppens.

Since 2013, excavations have resumed at La Roche in Pierrot, confirming the importance of the site to understand the last Neanderthal populations. The Paleosite, ranked among the 17 must-see sites in Charente-Maritime, combines scientific rigour and accessible mediation, with reconstructions based on the latest research. Its success is based on collaboration between archaeologists, museographers and heritage tourism specialists.

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