Grotte du Vallonnet, Prehistoric cave in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France
Grotte du Vallonnet is a prehistoric cave in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin on the French Riviera, perched around 110 meters above the Bay of Menton. The entrance opens into a passageway leading to a chamber where multiple layers of sediment contain ancient stone tools, animal bones, and marine remains.
The cave was inhabited by people whose stone tools date back roughly one million years, making it one of the earliest known human settlement sites in Europe. This timeframe shows how early humans had already reached coastal areas and sought shelter in caves.
The cave served as a shared dwelling where early humans and large carnivores coexisted, as evidenced by the remains found within its walls. This shared space reveals how people once lived alongside dangerous animals in ways very different from today.
The cave remains closed to visitors and cannot be entered, but the important discoveries from the site are displayed at the Regional Prehistory Museum in Menton. Visiting that museum is a practical way to learn about the findings without being able to access the location itself.
In a middle sediment layer lie eleven simple stone tools that reveal how early humans already crafted implements for daily survival. These few objects offer a direct glimpse into the abilities and routines of people living a million years ago.
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