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  2. Patrimoine
  3. Nouvelle-Aquitaine
  4. Dordogne
  5. 24620 Marquay

  6. Prehistoric location from Laussel to Marquay

 Prehistoric location from Laussel to Marquay en Dordogne

Patrimoine classé
Sites archéologique
Gisement préhistorique
Dordogne

Prehistoric location from Laussel to Marquay

    D48
    24620 Marquay
Photo de Prehistoric location from Laussel to Marquay
Crédit photo : photo 120, œuvre dont l'auteur est mort depuis env - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Antiquité
Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
0
100
…
1800
1900
2000
22 000 ans AP
Estimated dating of Venus with horn
1894
First site recognition
1908-1914
Lalanne and Peyrille
1911-1912
Discovery of major works
1946
Publication of the inventory Bouyssonie-Lalanne
27 février 2007
Registration for historical monuments
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The prehistoric deposit (Box AV 20): registration by order of 27 February 2007

Key figures

Émile Rivière - Prehistory First to recognize the site in 1894.
Jean-Gaston Lalanne - Searcher and collector Directs excavations (1908-1914) and classifies furniture.
Henri Breuil - Specialist in prehistoric art Dated the sculptures of the Gravettien in 1914.
Jean Bouyssonie - Paleontologist and inventor Published the final inventory in 1946.
Raymond Peyrille - Chief of excavations Collaborate with Lalanne in the field.
Alain Roussot - Researcher in Prehistory Receives Bouyssonie's manuscripts in 1965.

Origin and history

Laussel's Laussel Shelter is a prehistoric site located in the commune of Marquay, Dordogne (Black Perigord), in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. This 115-metre-long, south-facing rocky overhang delivered five iconic carved blocks, including the Venus with the horn (Gravetien, ~22,000 AP), as well as representations such as the Hunter or the Venus of Berlin. The excavations, initiated in 1894 by Émile Rivière, revealed occupations of the Mousterian in the Solutrean, with traces of d'ocre and d'art furniture.

The site was systematically searched between 1908 and 1914 by Jean-Gaston Lalanne and his team, including Raymond Peyrille. The collections, studied by Henri Breuil and Jean Bouyssonie, were dispersed after 1946 between the Museum of Aquitaine (Bordeaux), the Museum of Man (Paris), and the Hermitage (Saint Petersburg) for the Venus of Berlin. The sculpted blocks, discovered between 1911 and 1912, were grouped in an eastern area of the shelter, suggesting a ritualized space.

Laussel's shelter illustrates the artistic techniques of the Upper Paleolithic, with sculptures exploiting the natural reliefs of the rock. The dates vary according to the authors: Breuil and Delluc (1992) propose Gravettien, while Peyrony and Lambing-Emperaire lean for the Aurignacian. The site, threatened by erosion (documented collapses in 1985), was listed as a historic monument in 2007. Its geological environment (coniacian limestone) and its solar exposure favored its early formation and occupation.

In addition to the major works, the shelter has delivered tools (pilons, drills) and traces of red ochre, indicating symbolic or decorative practices. The nearby little shelter, occupied simultaneously, did not reveal furniture art. Lalanne's collections, donated to the Museum of Aquitaine in 1961, complement the scattered archives, while blocks such as the Priape de Laussel highlight the thematic diversity (fertility, hunting) of gravetian art.

The site is part of a network of prehistoric deposits in the Périgord (Castanet, Commarque), sharing motifs such as cupulas in prints of animals or mammoth silhouettes. His study involved key figures in French prehistory, including Bouyssonie, whose manuscript inventories (transmitted to Alain Roussot) remain a reference for the local lithic industry.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum