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Origin and history

The Bouffia Bonneval prehistoric deposit, located in La Chapelle-aux-Saints en Corrèze, is a key site of the Middle Paleolithic. It is known worldwide for the discovery in 1908 of the Neandertal skeleton "La Chapelle-aux-Saints 1", one of the most complete ever found in France. This specimen, dated about 60,000 years, was exhumed by the Bouyssonia brothers in a small cave, revealing an intentional burial, one of the oldest in Europe.

The discovery was made during excavations conducted by Amédée, Jean and Paul Bouyssonie, who identified a grave containing an individual in a fetal position, accompanied by mossterian tools and wildlife remains (bison, reindeer). The skeleton, studied by Marcellin Boule, was originally interpreted as that of a primitive and curved being, a vision subsequently revised by analyses showing a posture similar to that of modern humans.

The flint tools found on the site come from distant deposits (up to 100 km), attesting to the movements of Neandertalians between Quercy and Périgord. The associated fauna (mammouths, woolly rhinoceros) reveals a cold and dry climate, typical of an arctic steppe. The skeleton, marked by severe arthritis and trauma, suggests long survival despite disabilities, fuelling the debate on neanderthal altruism.

The site, classified as a Historical Monument in 1981, is now part of the museum "Néandertal, the man of La Chapelle-aux-Saints". Subsequent excavations and studies (notably by Jean-Louis Heim in 1984) allowed the re-evaluation of the anatomy and lifestyle of the Neandertalians, while confirming the scientific importance of the deposit to understand this extinct species.

Controversies persist as to the intentionality of the burial. Some studies (such as Rendu et al. 2013) support a deliberate burial, while others (Dibble et al., 2015) challenge this interpretation. The site remains a symbol of the debates on the humanity of Neanderthals, between cultural behavior and biological adaptations.

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