La Ferrassie Rock Shelter
Grand Abri de La Ferrassie
France · Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Dordogne
In brief
La Ferrassie is an excavated rock shelter known for its Neanderthal human remains and Paleolithic layers. Burial contexts have been reinvestigated by considering old excavation records, collections and new field investigations together.
What was found?
- 1Adult Neanderthal skeletons
La Ferrassie is particularly known for two well-preserved adult Neanderthal skeletons. They are important comparative specimens for studying Neanderthal anatomy.
- 2La Ferrassie 8 child skeleton
These are the remains of a child aged approximately two. According to researchers, the position and preservation of the bones show that the body was deliberately placed in a dug pit.
- 347 human bones identified in the collection
47 additional bones belonging to the child's skeleton were identified during a reexamination of old excavation collections. They were identified through the assessment of archived material rather than in a new excavation.
- 4Mousterian stone tools
Stone tool assemblages containing flakes produced using the Levallois method and side scrapers were found. The site played a fundamental role in defining the Ferrassie-type Mousterian.
- 5Hearth remains
Hearths were recorded in the Middle Paleolithic layers. They document the use of fire at the site.
What does it point to?
Stone tools and hearths show that the site was used for everyday activities. According to researchers, the child's remains provide strong evidence that Neanderthals deliberately buried their dead in some cases; how widespread this practice was remains unclear.
What did it teach us?
- It strengthened the debate on Neanderthal child burial through the combined examination of bones, sediments and excavation records.
- It showed that renewed investigation of old collections could reveal additional human remains.
- It contributed to the classification of Middle and Upper Paleolithic cultures through stone tool sequences.
Latest news / selected archive
A 2020 study reported evidence supporting the deliberate burial of an approximately 41,000-year-old Neanderthal child and 47 newly identified human bones in the old collection.
Record
- Culture
- Mousterian and later Paleolithic communities
- First modern dig
- 1896
- Team / historical
- Antoine Balzeau and Asier Gómez-Olivencia / French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), National Museum of Natural History and the University of the Basque Country
- Coordinates
- 44.9519°, 0.9381°
Sources
- cnrs.fr
- inealcost.inantro.hr
- onlinelibrary.wiley.com
- Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology — La Ferrassie'nin oluşumu ve insan yerleşimleri
Nearby excavations
- Abri Pataud 6 km
- Lascaux Cave 21 km
- La Roche-Cotard Cave 268 km
- Arago Cave, Tautavel 276 km
- Chauvet-Pont d'Arc Cave 282 km
- Bibracte 325 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
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