Vallée des Merveilles
Encyclopedia
The Vallée des Merveilles, also known in Italian as the Valle delle Meraviglie (Valley of Marvels), is a part of the Mercantour National Park
in southern France
. It holds the largest quantity of open-air Bronze Age
petroglyph
s in Europe, which is given special note for the area's inclusion for the European Diploma of Protected Areas
.
north of the Italian Riviera
.
in 1881. Between 1897 and 1902, Bicknell copied and catalogued more than 10,000 drawings.
Beginning in 1967, an extensive study of the petroglyphs was begun by French archaeologist Henry de Lumley
. De Lumley and a team of his postgraduate students classified the petroglyphs in the 40 km² area, with the greatest concentration in a 14 km² archaeological site on the slope of Mount Bégo. the engravings display objects like daggers, axes, and scythes. Suns, stars and spirals are represented. Ovals with criss-crossed lines may represent land or the earth. Some anthropomorphic figures have been found. The most common drawings are of horned animals.
Henry de Lumley
has theorized the petroglyphs are the work of a Mediterranean bronze age people who worshipped the bull and for whom Mount Bégo was a sacred site.
The Musée des Merveilles at Tende
houses numerous castings of the petroglyphs.
Mercantour National Park
Mercantour National Park is one of the nine national parks of France. Since it was created in 1979, the Mercantour Park has proven popular, with 800,000 visitors every year enjoying the 600 km of marked footpaths and visiting its villages.-Extent:...
in southern France
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...
. It holds the largest quantity of open-air Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
petroglyph
Petroglyph
Petroglyphs are pictogram and logogram images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images...
s in Europe, which is given special note for the area's inclusion for the European Diploma of Protected Areas
European Diploma of Protected Areas
The European Diploma of Protected Areas, established in 1965, is a diploma awarded by the Council of Europe to protected areas of exceptional European conservational interest. It is awarded for a five-year period at a time and is renewable...
.
Location
The valley is located in the rugged mountains of the Argentera massif within the Maritime AlpsMaritime Alps
The Maritime Alps are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between the French département Alpes-Maritimes and the Italian province of Cuneo. The Col de Tende separates them from the Ligurian Alps; the Maddalena Pass separates them from the Cottian Alps...
north of the Italian Riviera
Italian Riviera
The Italian Riviera, or Ligurian Riviera is the narrow coastal strip which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines...
.
Petroglyphs
The petroglyphs (rock engravings), located on stone outcrops within the valley, were first identified by British amateur archaeologist Clarence BicknellClarence Bicknell
Clarence Bicknell was a British amateur botanist and archaeologist.While employed as a vicar in Bordighera, Italy, Bicknell became noted for his identification of the plants and petroglyphs of the Ligurian Riviera...
in 1881. Between 1897 and 1902, Bicknell copied and catalogued more than 10,000 drawings.
Beginning in 1967, an extensive study of the petroglyphs was begun by French archaeologist Henry de Lumley
Henry de Lumley
Henry de Lumley is a French archeologist, geologist and prehistorian. He is director of the Institute of Human Paleontology in Paris, and Professor Emeritus at the Museum of Natural History in Paris. He is also a corresponding member of the Academy of Humanities of the Institute of France and...
. De Lumley and a team of his postgraduate students classified the petroglyphs in the 40 km² area, with the greatest concentration in a 14 km² archaeological site on the slope of Mount Bégo. the engravings display objects like daggers, axes, and scythes. Suns, stars and spirals are represented. Ovals with criss-crossed lines may represent land or the earth. Some anthropomorphic figures have been found. The most common drawings are of horned animals.
Henry de Lumley
Henry de Lumley
Henry de Lumley is a French archeologist, geologist and prehistorian. He is director of the Institute of Human Paleontology in Paris, and Professor Emeritus at the Museum of Natural History in Paris. He is also a corresponding member of the Academy of Humanities of the Institute of France and...
has theorized the petroglyphs are the work of a Mediterranean bronze age people who worshipped the bull and for whom Mount Bégo was a sacred site.
The Musée des Merveilles at Tende
Tende
Tende is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Geography:Tende is located within Mercantour National Park in the French Alps. The mountainous commune is bordered by Italy to the north, with the boundary determined by the watershed line between the two countries...
houses numerous castings of the petroglyphs.