Rouffignac Cave
Encyclopedia
The Rouffignac cave, situated within the French
commune of Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin-de-Reilhac
in the Dordogne département, contains over 250 engravings and cave painting
s dating back to the Upper Paleolithic
.
. Perched only about one kilometer farther east on the opposite side of the valley is the little village of Fleurac
. The country rocks of the cave are flat-lying limestone
s belonging to the uppermost Coniacian
; they are very rich in flint
nodules. These rocks together with overlying Santonian
rocks form the limestone plateau of Légal, the divide between the drainage basins of the rivers Lisle
and Vézère
.
The Rouffignac cave and the Villars cave
possess the most extensive cave system of the Périgord
with more than 8 kilometers of underground passage ways. There are 10 natural shafts that lead to a deeper level. It is astonishing that most of the artistic representations nearly always seem to be associated with these dangerous places. So far, a further 4 kilometers of passage ways have been explored in this deeper level. Below the deeper level exists a bottom level with a small underground rivulet. Visitors of the cave have to board an electric train that takes them about 2 kilometers into the interior.
The plan of the cave reveals a fractal
-like dendritic
pattern that is not random but organized along certain preferred directions. Presumably the cave was formed during the Pliocene
about 3 to 2 million years ago. Water had infiltrated the bedrock along certain zones of weakness and dissolved the limestone. Today this process has come to an end, the cave is mostly dry except for the rivulet along the base level.
. In his Cosmographie universelle he cites “paintings and animal traces”. In the 19th century the cave was known as a tourist attraction. Famous archeologists like Henry Breuil, André Glory and Martel had visited the cave in the early 20th century, but it was only in 1956 when Louis-René Nougier and Romain Robert, two prehistorians from the Pyrenees, rediscovered and confirmed the cave art. During the Second World War the cave had served as a hide-out for the French Résistance
. In 1959 the cave was officially opened for visitors.
In conjunction with other caves and abris of the Vézère
valley the Rouffignac cave was classified a Monument historique
in 1957 and a world heritage site in 1979 by the UNESCO
.
The cave is under private ownership.
and Font-de-Gaume the representations in the Rouffignac cave are not polychrome. So far 224 animal representations and 4 human figures have been registered. The animal representations can be subdivided as follows:
Additionally there is one single cave bear
. Amongst the six animal groups cited the mammoths take on a prominent role. The woolly rhinoceros are also quite common compared to other similar caves where they always appear as an absolute rarity.
Signs are somewhat underrepresented with 17 tectiform (house-like) and 6 serpentiform (snake-like) signs being known. Fairly common are finger fluting
s, macaroni- or meander-like traces that take up a surface of 500 square meters and decorate walls and ceilings. In September 2011 Jess Cooney, a Cambridge archeologist, and Dr Leslie Van Gelder of Walden University, USA
announced that their research had identified the artists who had created a large proportion of the flutings to be children as young as three years old. 63 animal representations alone are found on the ceiling of the so-called Le Grand Plafond chamber. Here again the representations are associated with a shaft.
the style of the representations can be attributed to his style IV and belong therefore into the Middle Magdalenian
, about 13. 000 years BP
.
Reconnaissance excavations in front of the entry of the cave found traces of human occupations (several fire-places, animal bones and stone tools) dating back to the Mesolithic
(Tardenoisian
and Sauveterrian
) and to the Neolithic
. Some iron age
remains capped the deposits. Therefore mesolithic hunters must have had their encampment in front of the cave from about 9200 till 7800 years BP. In the Sauveterrian level geometrically shaped microlith
s were found, the so-called Rouffignac heads. The neolithic and iron age levels yielded remnants of burials.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
commune of Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin-de-Reilhac
Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin-de-Reilhac
Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin-de-Reilhac is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-History:The town has few historic buildings as it was destroyed by the Germans in March 1944, the only remaining buildings being the church and the house adjacent...
in the Dordogne département, contains over 250 engravings and cave painting
Cave painting
Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest European cave paintings date to the Aurignacian, some 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the paleolithic cave paintings is not known...
s dating back to the Upper Paleolithic
Upper Paleolithic
The Upper Paleolithic is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. Very broadly it dates to between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago, roughly coinciding with the appearance of behavioral modernity and before the advent of...
.
Geography and description of the cave
The Cave of the hundred mammoths, also known as Miremont cave, Cro des Cluzeau or Cro de Granville, is situated about 5 kilometers south of Rouffignac on a hill slope along the right hand side of the La Binche river, a left tributary of the ManaurieManaurie
Manaurie is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:...
. Perched only about one kilometer farther east on the opposite side of the valley is the little village of Fleurac
Fleurac
Fleurac may refer to the following places in France:* Fleurac, Charente, a commune of the Charente département* Fleurac, Dordogne, a commune of the Dordogne département...
. The country rocks of the cave are flat-lying limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
s belonging to the uppermost Coniacian
Coniacian
The Coniacian is an age or stage in the geologic timescale. It is a subdivision of the Late Cretaceous epoch or Upper Cretaceous series and spans the time between 89.3 ± 1 Ma and 85.8 ± 0.7 Ma...
; they are very rich in flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
nodules. These rocks together with overlying Santonian
Santonian
The Santonian is an age in the geologic timescale or a chronostratigraphic stage. It is a subdivision of the Late Cretaceous epoch or Upper Cretaceous series. It spans the time between 85.8 ± 0.7 mya and 83.5 ± 0.7 mya...
rocks form the limestone plateau of Légal, the divide between the drainage basins of the rivers Lisle
Lisle
Lisle is a type of cotton fabric that has been processed to give it a smooth finish. The process burns off lint and threads as well as fibre ends, leaving a smooth edge...
and Vézère
Vézère
The Vézère is a 211 km long river in south-western France, right tributary of the Dordogne River. Its source is in the north-western Massif Central...
.
The Rouffignac cave and the Villars cave
Villars Cave
The Villars Cave, in French Grotte de Villars or Grotte du Cluzeau, was occupied during the Lower Magdalenian by Cro-Magnon hunter-gatherers. The cave is part of the French commune of Villars in the northern Dordogne département. Besides its enormous wealth in beautiful stalactites, stalagmites and...
possess the most extensive cave system of the Périgord
Périgord
The Périgord is a former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne département, now forming the northern part of the Aquitaine région. It is divided into four regions, the Périgord Noir , the Périgord Blanc , the Périgord Vert and the Périgord Pourpre...
with more than 8 kilometers of underground passage ways. There are 10 natural shafts that lead to a deeper level. It is astonishing that most of the artistic representations nearly always seem to be associated with these dangerous places. So far, a further 4 kilometers of passage ways have been explored in this deeper level. Below the deeper level exists a bottom level with a small underground rivulet. Visitors of the cave have to board an electric train that takes them about 2 kilometers into the interior.
The plan of the cave reveals a fractal
Fractal
A fractal has been defined as "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is a reduced-size copy of the whole," a property called self-similarity...
-like dendritic
Dendrite
Dendrites are the branched projections of a neuron that act to conduct the electrochemical stimulation received from other neural cells to the cell body, or soma, of the neuron from which the dendrites project...
pattern that is not random but organized along certain preferred directions. Presumably the cave was formed during the Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
about 3 to 2 million years ago. Water had infiltrated the bedrock along certain zones of weakness and dissolved the limestone. Today this process has come to an end, the cave is mostly dry except for the rivulet along the base level.
History
The Rouffignac cave was already mentioned in 1575 by François de BelleforestFrançois de Belleforest
François de Belleforest was a prolific French author, poet and translator of the Renaissance. He was born in a poor family and his father was killed when he was seven...
. In his Cosmographie universelle he cites “paintings and animal traces”. In the 19th century the cave was known as a tourist attraction. Famous archeologists like Henry Breuil, André Glory and Martel had visited the cave in the early 20th century, but it was only in 1956 when Louis-René Nougier and Romain Robert, two prehistorians from the Pyrenees, rediscovered and confirmed the cave art. During the Second World War the cave had served as a hide-out for the French Résistance
Resistance
- Physics :* Electrical resistance, a measure of the degree to which an object opposes an electric current through it* Friction, the force that opposes motion** Drag , fluid or gas forces opposing motion and flow...
. In 1959 the cave was officially opened for visitors.
In conjunction with other caves and abris of the Vézère
Vézère
The Vézère is a 211 km long river in south-western France, right tributary of the Dordogne River. Its source is in the north-western Massif Central...
valley the Rouffignac cave was classified a Monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
in 1957 and a world heritage site in 1979 by the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
.
The cave is under private ownership.
Artistic representations
The artistic representations in the cave were mainly executed as engravings or black contour drawings. In contrast with the caves in LascauxLascaux
Lascaux is the setting of a complex of caves in southwestern France famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings. The original caves are located near the village of Montignac, in the department of Dordogne. They contain some of the best-known Upper Paleolithic art. These paintings are estimated to be...
and Font-de-Gaume the representations in the Rouffignac cave are not polychrome. So far 224 animal representations and 4 human figures have been registered. The animal representations can be subdivided as follows:
- 158 mammothMammothA mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
s, i.e. 70 % of all represented animals. - 28 bisonBisonMembers of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
s. - 15 horseHorseThe horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s. - 12 capricornCapricornCapricorn may refer to:* Capricornus, one of the constellations of the zodiac** Capricorn * Capricorn , a manga series created by Johji Manabe* Capricorn , Jay Chou's 9th studio album...
s. - 10 woolly rhinocerosWoolly RhinocerosThe woolly rhinoceros is an extinct species of rhinoceros that was common throughout Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene epoch and survived the last glacial period. The genus name Coelodonta means "cavity tooth"...
.
Additionally there is one single cave bear
Cave Bear
The cave bear was a species of bear that lived in Europe during the Pleistocene and became extinct at the beginning of the Last Glacial Maximum about 27,500 years ago....
. Amongst the six animal groups cited the mammoths take on a prominent role. The woolly rhinoceros are also quite common compared to other similar caves where they always appear as an absolute rarity.
Finger fluting
In prehistoric art, finger flutings are lines that fingers leave on a soft surface. Considered a form of cave painting, they occur in caves at least through southern Australia, New Guinea, and southwestern Europe, and were presumably made over a considerable time span including some or all of the...
s, macaroni- or meander-like traces that take up a surface of 500 square meters and decorate walls and ceilings. In September 2011 Jess Cooney, a Cambridge archeologist, and Dr Leslie Van Gelder of Walden University, USA
announced that their research had identified the artists who had created a large proportion of the flutings to be children as young as three years old. 63 animal representations alone are found on the ceiling of the so-called Le Grand Plafond chamber. Here again the representations are associated with a shaft.
Cave bears
The presence of cave bears in the Rouffignac cave is attested by scratch marks on the walls and also by their resting places of quite an impressive size.Age
Because of the general lack in artefacts (a single blade was found so far) and occupation traces the Rouffignac cave has not been dated directly. According to André Leroi-GourhanAndré Leroi-Gourhan
André Leroi-Gourhan was a French archaeologist, paleontologist, paleoanthropologist, and anthropologist with an interest in technology and aesthetics and a penchant for philosophical reflection.- Biography :...
the style of the representations can be attributed to his style IV and belong therefore into the Middle Magdalenian
Magdalenian
The Magdalenian , refers to one of the later cultures of the Upper Paleolithic in western Europe, dating from around 17,000 BP to 9,000 BP...
, about 13. 000 years BP
Before Present
Before Present years is a time scale used in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred. Because the "present" time changes, standard practice is to use AD 1950 as the origin of the age scale, reflecting the fact that radiocarbon...
.
Reconnaissance excavations in front of the entry of the cave found traces of human occupations (several fire-places, animal bones and stone tools) dating back to the Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
(Tardenoisian
Tardenoisian
The Tardenoisian is an archaeological culture of the Epipaleolithic period from north-western France and Belgium. Similar cultures are known further east in central Europe and west across Spain....
and Sauveterrian
Sauveterrian
The Sauveterrian is the name for an archaeological culture of the European Epipaleolithic which flourished around 7000-8000 years BC. The name is derived from the type site of Sauveterre-la-Lémance in the French of Lot-et-Garonne....
) and to the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
. Some iron age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
remains capped the deposits. Therefore mesolithic hunters must have had their encampment in front of the cave from about 9200 till 7800 years BP. In the Sauveterrian level geometrically shaped microlith
Microlith
A microlith is a small stone tool usually made of flint or chert and typically a centimetre or so in length and half a centimetre wide. It is produced from either a small blade or a larger blade-like piece of flint by abrupt or truncated retouching, which leaves a very typical piece of waste,...
s were found, the so-called Rouffignac heads. The neolithic and iron age levels yielded remnants of burials.
Visiting the cave
The Rouffignac cave is open to the public between April 1 and November 1. The number of visitors is restricted to 550 per day.Literature
- Leroi-Gourhan, A. (1988). Rouffignac. In: Dictionnaire de la Préhistoire, sous la dir. d'A. Leroi-GourhanAndré Leroi-GourhanAndré Leroi-Gourhan was a French archaeologist, paleontologist, paleoanthropologist, and anthropologist with an interest in technology and aesthetics and a penchant for philosophical reflection.- Biography :...
, Presses universitaires de France, Paris, pp. 959–960 - Plassard, Jean (1999). Rouffignac. Thorbecke, Stuttgart. ISBN 3-7995-9006-4
External links
- Grotte de Rouffignac (in French)
- Show Caves of France: Grotte de Rouffignac (in English)