La Micoque

La Micoque is a prehistoric archaeological site near Les Eyzies located at the base of a limestone cliff where the Manaurie and Vézère rivers converge. The site displays multiple soil layers containing stone tools from the Lower and Middle Paleolithic, showing how human settlement changed across different time periods.

Systematic excavation began in 1895 after a vineyard was removed from the site, continuing through 1932 under paleontologists like Émile Rivière and Denis Peyrony. Their work helped establish an understanding of early human habitation patterns in this part of France.

The name comes from a French word meaning hollow or depression, fitting for its position along the river valleys where early people gathered. Layers of soil and stones tell the story of how different human groups repeatedly chose this location as a place to live and work.

The site can only be explored with a professional guide and requires advance booking through the Museum of Prehistory in Les Eyzies. Planning your visit with the museum helps ensure you get the most from your time at the location.

Artifacts at this location span roughly 400,000 years, making it one of the oldest documented sites in the Perigord region and allowing visitors to see an extraordinarily long stretch of human history in one place. This exceptional time depth offers rare insight into how human life and tools evolved over vast periods.