Musée de Préhistoire des Gorges du Verdon, Archaeological museum in Quinson, France.
The Musée de Préhistoire des Gorges du Verdon is a museum in Quinson designed by Norman Foster, with an oblong building 120 metres long and 4,274 m² over two levels, largely set into the hillside. Its permanent circuit of about twenty rooms traces one million years, from the formation of the Verdon to the Roman conquest, through finds from some sixty excavated sites. Outside stand life-size reconstructions of a woolly mammoth, a woolly rhinoceros and a sabre-toothed cat.
The museum opened in 2001 and is based on archaeological excavations conducted between 1957 and 1971 in the region. These digs took place during the construction of hydroelectric dams and revealed evidence of human presence spanning thousands of years.
The collections show how people adapted to life in this region across thousands of years, from the earliest inhabitants to later groups. Tools, bones, and everyday objects on display reveal what daily life looked like during the Stone Age and Bronze Age.
The museum is open from 1 February to 15 December and closes on Tuesdays, except during Zone B school holidays and in July and August. It lies in Quinson, in the Verdon regional nature park, 61 km from Digne-les-Bains and 100 km from Marseille. It holds the Tourisme et handicap label for motor and mental disabilities.
Outside the building stands a reconstructed prehistoric village showing how people might have lived at different times. This outdoor experience helps visitors imagine how daily activities unfolded in these early settlements.
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