Le Rozel Palaeolithic Site
Le Pou – Le Rozel
France · Normandy, Manche
In brief
Dune layers on the Cotentin coast have preserved Neanderthal activity areas alongside their footprints and handprints. Regular seasonal excavations have been conducted since 2012 at the site, which is threatened by coastal erosion.
What was found?
- 1Neanderthal footprints
Examples attributed to children and adolescents form the majority of the footprints preserved on sandy surfaces. They directly record people's movements at the site.
- 2Handprints and finger marks
Excavations uncovered handprints and scrape marks left by fingers on the surface. Alongside the footprints, they also document contact between the human body and the ground.
- 3Flint and quartz finds
A small quartz anvil was found alongside knapped quartz and flint pieces. They show the use of different stone raw materials.
- 4Charcoal and animal remains
Wood charcoal, burnt bone and animal remains were recorded in the excavated area of movement. They constitute the other archaeological material on the surfaces where the impressions were found.
What does it point to?
The footprints show that people of different ages, including children, used the same area. Through experimental studies, researchers are investigating whether the abundance of children's footprints resulted from the group's composition or from children moving around more.
What did it teach us?
- It made Neanderthal children visible in everyday life through their direct traces.
- It showed that footprints could provide data on age groups and movement behaviors.
- It made the fact that the number of footprints cannot be directly equated with the number of individuals a concrete research question.
Latest news / selected archive
The 2024 excavation uncovered 525 new tracks and impressions, bringing the total recorded by the project to more than 3,900.
Record
- Culture
- Neanderthal communities
- Team / historical
- Dominique Cliquet / Normandy Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs
- Coordinates
- 49.4725°, -1.8404°
Sources
- culture.gouv.fr
- neandertalrozel.org
- pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Fransa Kültür Bakanlığı — Neandertal çocuklarının izleri
Nearby excavations
- Stonehenge 190 km
- Durrington Walls Settlement and Ceremonial Site 191 km
- Silchester Ancient Town 216 km
- Avebury 218 km
- La Roche-Cotard Cave 291 km
- Richborough Roman Town and Fort 303 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
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