Layer by layer: the Upper Palaeolithic at Mas d’Azil cave revealed

Mas d’Azil is an immense cave and is one of the major prehistoric sites in France. Classed as an historic monument since 1942, it is also a very popular tourist site. The construction of a visitor centre and site path by the commune of Mas d’Azil requires archaeological intervention and two phases have already been completed. The first; a trench to house the buried pipes that traverse the road and the second; the visitor centre located inside the cave

The cave of Mas d’Azil and French prehistory

The first research at this site was carried out in 1860 with Félix Garrigou presenting the general stratigraphy in 1867. Twenty years later, Édouard Piette conducted extensive excavations. Throughout these years, thousands of flint tools and hundreds of portable art objects were recovered.
In 1901-1902, Henri Breuil defined the chronology of the Magdalenian culture based on his excavations at Mas d’Azil and discovered the first parietal art works in the cave (bison, horse, feline, fish, etc.). Between 1936 and 1958, Joseph Mandement discovered numerous previously unknown cavities. But it was Marthe and Saint-Just Péquart who excavated the deep gallery, from 1935 to 1942, and revealed one of the rare “occupations in an obscure cave”, in which a few masterpieces of Magdalenian art were found: spear throwers, pierced batons, contour cut-outs, etc. Since this time, little research has been conducted in the cave. The right bank, where the decorated spaces are located, was believed to be sterile except for a small amount of back dirt from the early excavations.
 The cave of Mas d’Azil is the eponymous site of a culture that succeeded the Upper Palaeolithic: the Azilian, defined by Edouard Piette in 1887-1889. Between 10,000 and 7,500 years ago, this Epipalaeolithic culture, situated between the Upper Palaeolithic and Neolithic, was characterized by red deer antler harpoons with an elongated perforation at the base, very short end-scrapers and more or less geometric projectile elements (Azilian Points). Art is represented by painted or engraved pebbles.

An exceptional stratigraphy covering all of the Upper Palaeolithic

Sand and pebble layers were deposited by the Arize River during ancient floods contemporary with the last Quaternary glaciation. Below and above (before and after the floods), other layers very rich in stone and bone artefacts were created by the Upper Palaeolithic occupants of the cave.

Extensively explored since 1860, the right bank of Mas D’Azil has suffered greatly due to its early discovery. Today, all that remains are a few bits of back dirt from the early excavations. Under the road, the diagnostic operation by Inrap has confirmed this situation. The few flint artefacts and reindeer and bovid bone remains discovered in this context were mixed during its construction.
Fortunately, the archaeology carried out in the location of the future visitor centre has revealed a long stratigraphical sequence, several metres deep. Sand and pebble layers were deposited by the Arize River during ancient floods contemporary with the last Quaternary glaciation. Below and above (before and after the floods), other layers very rich in stone and bone artefacts were created by the Upper Palaeolithic occupants of the cave.

…it was thought that Aurignacian peoples did not live deep in caves, but at Mas d’Azil such occupation has now been revealed.

The study of the recovered artefacts is still in progress, but the first dates obtained by the Carbon 14 method reveal a tentative chronology of the occupations. Most of the earliest occupation, found under the flood layers, are attributed to the Aurignacian culture (35,000-33,000 years ago). Later (14,700 years ago), the Magdalenian culture arrived after the flooding. Until now, evidence of this flooding had never been seen at Mas d’Azil. In addition, it was thought that Aurignacian peoples did not live deep in caves, but at Mas d’Azil such occupation has now been revealed.

This discovery is important because it enriches the heritage of this site, particularly in the zone visited by the public. Modern archaeological methods permit archaeologists to place some of the artefacts conserved and isolated in museums within the original context of the site. The discovery of a complex stratigraphic sequence, at the base of which Aurignacian peoples left numerous remains of their occupations of the site, is an important contribution to our knowledge of Prehistory. The study of this previously unknown stratigraphy and its formation processes, and the extension of this archaeological and geomorphological evaluation to the entire cave, will contribute significant new information.
This research by Inrap is conducted in close collaboration with a team from the University of Toulouse (TRACES, UMR 5608) and participates in a broad research project concerning ancient collections and archives, in the framework of a valorization of the cave of Mas d’Azil. The immense network of galleries in Mas d’Azil has not revealed all of its secrets.

 http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/05/2012/layer-by-layer-the-upper-palaeolithic-at-mas-dazil-cave-revealed