Cosquer Cave

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Cosquer Cave

cross section with entrance tunnel and current sea level
Location in France Show map of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Cosquer Cave (France) Show map of France
Location	Calanque de Morgiou in Marseille
Region	Midi, France
Coordinates	43°12′10″N 5°26′57″E / 43.20278°N 5.44917°E / 43.20278; 5.44917
Site notes
Excavation dates	1991
Archaeologists	Henri Cosquer

Cosquer Cave ([kɔskɛʁ], also [kɔske]) is located in the Calanque de Morgiou in Marseille, France, near Cap Morgiou. The entrance to the cave is located 37 m (121 ft) underwater, due to the Holocene sea level rise. The cave contains various prehistoric rock art engravings. Its submarine entrance was discovered in 1985 by Henri Cosquer, a professional diver. The underwater passage leading to the cave was progressively explored until 1990 by cave divers without the divers being aware of the archaeological character of the cave.

It is only in the last period (1990–1991) of the progressive underwater explorations that the cave divers emerged in the non-submerged part of the cave. The prehistoric paintings were not immediately discovered by the divers to first emerge from the other side of the sump. The cave was named after Henri Cosquer, when its existence was made public in 1991, after three divers became lost in the cave and died.^[1]