Grotte d'Aurignac | |
 Entrance porch of the Aurignac shelter | |
  Cave of Aurignac location in France  Cave of Aurignac (France) | |
| Alternative name | Grotte de Rodes |
|---|---|
| Location | Near the commune of Aurignac, Haute-Garonne department |
| Region | southwestern France on the northern side the Pyrenees |
| Coordinates | 43°13′21″N 0°51′55″E / 43.22250°N 0.86528°E |
| Height | 11.8 m (39 ft) |
| History | |
| Material | Thanetian limestone |
| Periods | Upper Palaeolithic, Chalcolithic |
| Cultures | Aurignacian |
| Associated with | European early modern humans |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | since 1860 |
| Archaeologists | Édouard Lartet, Fernand Lacorre, Louis Meroc |
| Public access | yes |
The Cave of Aurignac is an archaeological site in the commune of Aurignac, Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France. Sediment excavation and artefact documentation since 1860 confirm the idea of the arrival and permanent presence of European early modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic.[1] The eponymous location represents the type site of the Aurignacian, the earliest known culture attributed to modern humans in western Eurasia. Assemblages of Aurignacian tool making tradition can be found in the cultural sediments of numerous sites from around 45,000 years BP to around 26,000 years BP.[2] In recognition of its significance for various scientific fields and the 19th-century pioneering work of Édouard Lartet the Cave of Aurignac was officially declared a national Historic Monument of France by order of May 26, 1921.[3]
- ^ Koehl, Dan. "The Cro Magnon man (Homo sapiens sapiens) Anatomically Modern or Early Modern Humans". elephant.se. Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
- ^ John J. Shea (28 February 2013). Stone Tools in the Paleolithic and Neolithic Near East: A Guide. Cambridge University Press. pp. 154–. ISBN 978-1-139-61938-7.
- ^ Base Mérimée: PA00094268, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)