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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Martinet shelter is a rock shelter and a prehistoric site of the Mesolithic region located in Sauveterre-la-Lémance, Lot-et-Garonne, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. This site, about 15 metres wide and exposed to the south, is protected by a rocky overhang. It was discovered in 1922 by the prehistorian Laurent Coulonges, who identified there in 1928 a characteristic lithic industry which he named Sauveterrian, marking an ancient phase of Mesolithic.

The site has delivered many triangular microliths typical of Sauveterrian, as well as trapezes associated with a more recent phase, the Tardenoisian. These discoveries distinguished two major periods from the Mesolithic period in France. The Martinet shelter was classified as historical monuments in 1932, and its remains are now exhibited at the Laurent Coulonges Museum of Sauveterre-la-Lémance.

The Lemance Valley, where the site is located, is a key geographic context for understanding the prehistoric human occupations of the region. The Sauveterrian, identified here, precedes the Tardenoisian and illustrates the evolution of stone-cutting techniques during the Mesolithic period. The site remains a reference for the study of hunter-gatherer societies of that time in Aquitaine.

Le Martinet is located at Le Martinet, in the municipality of Sauveterre-la-Lémance, whose Insee code is 47292. The approximate location, based on GPS coordinates, is 9010 Le Forge, still in Sauveterre-la-Lémance. The site is owned by the commune and its protected element, the prehistoric deposit, was classified by order of 20 February 1932.

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