Grotte du Lazaret, Prehistoric cave and archaeological site at Mont Boron, Nice, France
The Grotte du Lazaret is a cave near Nice containing multiple layers of human occupation and artifacts preserved in its stone walls. These layers reveal how people lived here at different times, with spaces organized for specific purposes like cooking and tool-making.
Excavations starting in the 1960s revealed human remains and tools from roughly 200,000 years ago, during the earliest periods of human settlement in this region. The layers of artifacts show that people returned here repeatedly over long stretches of time.
The site reveals how people organized their daily life in this cave with specific areas for different activities. You can see where they made fires, worked with tools, and possibly slept in structured living spaces.
The cave opens for visits on weekday afternoons and weekends, with guided tours available to explain what you are seeing. The entrance sits on a hillside, so expect some climbing to reach the opening.
Researchers found rings of charcoal near shells, suggesting people may have built shelters using animal skins stretched over stone supports. This kind of constructed shelter is rare to find evidence for in such an ancient period.
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