La Ferrassie | |
Location | near Savignac-de-Miremont |
---|---|
Region | Dordogne, France |
Coordinates | 44°57′07″N 0°56′17″E / 44.95194°N 0.93806°E |
La Ferrassie is an archaeological site in Savignac-de-Miremont, in the Dordogne department, France. [1] The site, located in the Vézère valley, [2] consists of a large and deep cave flanked by two rock shelters [3] within a limestone cliff, under which there is a scree slope formation. [1]
Artifacts found at the site are the productions of Mousterian (300,000-30,000 BP), Aurignacian (45,000–35,000 BP), and Périgordian (35,000–20,000 BP) cultures. [4] The cave area contains Gravettian (32,000–22,000 BP) objects and the scree contains objects from all these ages as well as the Châtelperronian (35,000-29,000 PB). The site was abandoned during the Gravettian period (27 kya). [3] Complex Mousterian burial structures found at La Ferrasie finally provided the evidence of Neanderthal burial practice. [5]
A small area of the site was initially investigated by M. Tabanou in 1896, [3] a teacher who died of a landslide at the Badegoule rock shelter shortly thereafter. [6] Denis Peyrony and Louis Capitan explored the site in 1905, 1907 and 1912; Peyrony in 1934, Henri Delporte in 1969 and 1984, and Delporte with Tuffreau in 1984. [4] [1]
At least seven Neanderthals have been found in La Ferrassie, including infants and one [7] fetus. All specimens were found in a thin 60 cm archaeological layer dated to 74-68 thousand years ago.
Name | Develop- mental age |
Notes |
---|---|---|
La Ferrassie 1 ♂ | 45 | The skeleton of an adult male, including the most complete Neanderthal skull ever found. [8][ better source needed] Discovered in 1909. [3] |
La Ferrassie 2 ♀ | 25–30 | An incomplete cranium and skeleton of a female Neanderthal found in 1910 and dated to 68-74,000 before present. This is now kept in the Musée de l'Homme. [3] |
La Ferrassie 3 | 10 | A partial child skeleton. [9]: 30–31 [10] |
La Ferrassie 4 | 8.5 months (fetal age) [9] |
The bones of a late-term fetus or of a newborn. Now thought to belong to Le Moustier 2. [7] |
La Ferrassie 4bis | ~12 days [10]: 26 | A partial child skeleton. [9]: 30–31 [10] |
La Ferrassie 5 | ~7 months (fetal age) [10] |
Fetus [9]: 38 [11] |
La Ferrassie 6 | 3–5 | Nearly complete skeleton of a juvenile discovered in 1921. [3] |
"La Ferrassie 7" | – | A talus bone named LF7 by Boule (1924), who thought despite its small size that it represented a third adult. Now thought part of La Ferrassie 3. [10]: 6 |
La Ferrassie 8 | 22–26 months [9]: 41 | Young child with well-preserved teeth. |
En 1896, j'y fus amené par Tabanou, ce malheureux instituteur qui devait un peu plus tard périr sous un éboulement dans ses recherches à Badegoule.[ dead link]
La Ferrassie | |
Location | near Savignac-de-Miremont |
---|---|
Region | Dordogne, France |
Coordinates | 44°57′07″N 0°56′17″E / 44.95194°N 0.93806°E |
La Ferrassie is an archaeological site in Savignac-de-Miremont, in the Dordogne department, France. [1] The site, located in the Vézère valley, [2] consists of a large and deep cave flanked by two rock shelters [3] within a limestone cliff, under which there is a scree slope formation. [1]
Artifacts found at the site are the productions of Mousterian (300,000-30,000 BP), Aurignacian (45,000–35,000 BP), and Périgordian (35,000–20,000 BP) cultures. [4] The cave area contains Gravettian (32,000–22,000 BP) objects and the scree contains objects from all these ages as well as the Châtelperronian (35,000-29,000 PB). The site was abandoned during the Gravettian period (27 kya). [3] Complex Mousterian burial structures found at La Ferrasie finally provided the evidence of Neanderthal burial practice. [5]
A small area of the site was initially investigated by M. Tabanou in 1896, [3] a teacher who died of a landslide at the Badegoule rock shelter shortly thereafter. [6] Denis Peyrony and Louis Capitan explored the site in 1905, 1907 and 1912; Peyrony in 1934, Henri Delporte in 1969 and 1984, and Delporte with Tuffreau in 1984. [4] [1]
At least seven Neanderthals have been found in La Ferrassie, including infants and one [7] fetus. All specimens were found in a thin 60 cm archaeological layer dated to 74-68 thousand years ago.
Name | Develop- mental age |
Notes |
---|---|---|
La Ferrassie 1 ♂ | 45 | The skeleton of an adult male, including the most complete Neanderthal skull ever found. [8][ better source needed] Discovered in 1909. [3] |
La Ferrassie 2 ♀ | 25–30 | An incomplete cranium and skeleton of a female Neanderthal found in 1910 and dated to 68-74,000 before present. This is now kept in the Musée de l'Homme. [3] |
La Ferrassie 3 | 10 | A partial child skeleton. [9]: 30–31 [10] |
La Ferrassie 4 | 8.5 months (fetal age) [9] |
The bones of a late-term fetus or of a newborn. Now thought to belong to Le Moustier 2. [7] |
La Ferrassie 4bis | ~12 days [10]: 26 | A partial child skeleton. [9]: 30–31 [10] |
La Ferrassie 5 | ~7 months (fetal age) [10] |
Fetus [9]: 38 [11] |
La Ferrassie 6 | 3–5 | Nearly complete skeleton of a juvenile discovered in 1921. [3] |
"La Ferrassie 7" | – | A talus bone named LF7 by Boule (1924), who thought despite its small size that it represented a third adult. Now thought part of La Ferrassie 3. [10]: 6 |
La Ferrassie 8 | 22–26 months [9]: 41 | Young child with well-preserved teeth. |
En 1896, j'y fus amené par Tabanou, ce malheureux instituteur qui devait un peu plus tard périr sous un éboulement dans ses recherches à Badegoule.[ dead link]