Grotte de la Salpêtrière, Prehistoric cave and archaeological site in Vers-Pont-du-Gard, France.
The Grotte de la Salpêtrière is a prehistoric cave south of Pont du Gard with rock shelters that contain traces of human settlement from various periods. The layers inside reveal remains from the Aurignacian, Gravettian, Solutrean, Magdalenian, and also from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic eras.
Excavations beginning in 1872 uncovered stacked layers from different time periods, revealing a long history of human presence at the site. The location became a classified historical monument in 1931 and has remained closed to the public since then.
The cave lent its name to the Salpetrian culture and reveals how people lived in this region roughly 19,000 years ago. The finds offer direct insight into their daily existence in Mediterranean France.
Access to this cave is not available to regular visitors, as it remains protected due to its scientific importance. Nearby sites in the Pont du Gard region offer many other accessible archaeological locations and museums for those interested in prehistory.
Researchers discovered a well-preserved antelope saiga antler fragment inside the cave from the post-ice age period. This find indicates that hunters traveled south during drier phases to reach this Mediterranean region.
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