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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Roc-aux-Sorciers is a rock shelter located in Angles-sur-l'Anglin (Vienna, New Aquitaine), famous for its parietal sculptures dated to the recent Magdalenian (about 14,000 years before the present). The site, discovered in 1927 by Lucien Rousseau, consists of two parts: the Bourdois shelter and the Taillebourg cellar, separated by an unexcavated area. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1955, it owes its name to a local legend evoking meetings of witches.

The excavations, initiated by Lucien Rousseau in 1927, revealed a Magdalenian occupation and an engraved slab representing a mammoth. From 1947, Suzanne de Saint-Mathurin and Dorothy Garrod discovered carved blocks (bisons, horses, bouquetins, felines) and a monumental frieze in situ, including rare human figures for paleolithic art. These works, combined with homes and tools, bear witness to a close link between habitat and art.

The site was occupied from Magdalenian III to Magdalenian VI (15,000 to 12,000 AP years), as confirmed by carbon dating 14. The archaeological layers have delivered rich furniture (paints, lamps, flint, bone or ivory tools), sealed by the partial collapse of the cliff. The sculpted frieze, exceptional in its realism and its play of lights, suggests a utilitarian and symbolic dimension, with carved rings that can serve as links or separations between panels.

Closed to the public for conservation reasons, the Roc-aux-Sorciers is accessible via an interpretation centre using augmented reality since 2008. This centre, temporarily closed in 2016 before its reopening, offers an innovative mediation on parietal art interpretations. Recent research, led by Geneviève Pinçon, includes 3D surveys and geomorphological studies to contextualize the site in a "social paleo-geography".

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