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The entry of the River Arize to the Grotte. The road through the cave enters on the right of this photograph. It is behind the tree, and the top of the road tunnel may be seen as a dark shadow marginally above the bulk of the tree on the far right.
There is very little water in the river, it may be that there are subterranean passages in the limestone which carry much of the flow during summer.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
It is interesting to compare the modern photograph above with a postcard from an earlier age, around the early 1900s, this time focusing on the highway entrance to the cave.
Photo: From the display outside Niaux Cave.
The River Arize and the main road, the D119, disappear under the ground, and reappear at the point labelled Grotte du Mas-d'Azil, 09290 Le Mas-d'Azil, France.
The coordinates for the southern entrance to the cave are:
43° 4.085' North, 1° 21.252 East.
Altitudes are 360 m for the river at the entry point to the cave, and 422 m for the top of the cave at the entry.
Photo: Google Earth
The village of Mas-d'Azil is further downstream, inside a bend in the River Arize.
Photo: Google Earth
The Grotte du Mas d'Azil is at the part of the sign labelled Grotte Préhistorique.
Photo: Sign, Grotte du Mas d'Azil
If you follow the pedestrian path beside the river, there is access to the first part of the grotte and river.
The roof is relatively flat, but there are many limestone boulders in the bed of the river. The path finishes at this point.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
There is a narrow walkway beside the main road, and in this view one can see that the road and the river join not far into the grotte.
The entrance to the other caves and display areas is to the right of the road, where the pedestrian crossing may be seen in this photograph.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Looking back upstream from the walkway along the road, we can see the entrance of the river to the grotte, and the light reflecting off the stream, with the roof of the grotte far overhead. The angular end of the short pedestrian path to the start of the grotte may also be seen in silhouette in this photograph.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
It is possible to take the narrow path beside the main road all the way to the other end of the grotte, with brilliant sunshine outlining the exit of the stream and the road.
Although there is lighting at the edge of the road, cars are required to turn on their headlights when entering the grotte.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
This is the first display on entering the conducted tour part of the caves.
Tipping for the guide is expected in this cave, as has been the case for many years.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Parts of the cave are huge, and have sheltered many people during time of war.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
The display area is in a smaller, side cavern. There is a good display of Cave Bear bones.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
The Cave Bear bones appear to be originals.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Unfortunately, there is very little descriptive labelling, which would have been a big help.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
There are few displays of the finds related to humans in the cave. This is possibly the best, a facsimile of a famous propulseur from Mas d'Azil in the shape of the front of a bouquetin, or ibex.
Propulseurs were attached to a piece of wood, and used as a throwing stick for lightweight and whippy spears, or darts, as they are more properly called.
The hook on the end of the propulseur (also called an atlatl or a woomera or spear thrower in other parts of the world) fitted into the end of the dart, and gave the hunter more control and greater leverage to send the dart very much further, and with more force. It was a very important development in technology.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Source: Facsimile, display, Grotte du Mas d'Azil
A drawing of the original propulseur shown in facsimile above.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Source: Propulseur paléolithique du Mas d'Azil (Ariège, France) - bouquetin de face et de profil.
Paleolithic spear-thrower showing an Ibex.
personal scan from Manuel d'archéologie préhistorique, celtique et gallo-romaine, fr:Joseph Déchelette (1862-1914)
Licensing: Public domain This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.
Propulseur 'au faon' (moulage) Le Mas d'Azil (Ariège), Magdalénien supérieur.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Source: Facsimile on display at Le Musée National de Préhistoire, Les Eyzies-de-Tayac
Spearthrower made of antler showing a young ibex (or possibly a chamois) with an emerging turd on which two birds are perched, found around 1940 in the cave of Le Mas d'Azil, Ariege.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Source: Facsimile on display at Le Musée National de Préhistoire, Les Eyzies-de-Tayac
This was one of the first examples of mass produced art. Fragments of up to ten examples of this design have been found, which means that scores or hundreds must have been manufactured originally. The joke must have been very popular amongst the people of the time!
The ibex figure alone is about 7 cm long, and dates to about 16 000 BP. The entire propulseur is 29.5 cm in length.
The engraved line along the body of the animal possibly represents a change in the colour of the coat.
Although most authorities give the interpretation of a turd with birds above,
Bandi (1988) proposes that the 'sausage' coming out of the back of the ibex/chamois is the sac of an infant, and the animal is giving birth. The reasons given are that animals never look back to see their own excrement, but usually do so when giving birth. In addition, the author says that the object is too thick to be excrement, it is much more likely to be the sac of an infant.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Source: Facsimile on display at Le Musée National de Préhistoire, Les Eyzies-de-Tayac
These drawings are useful to demonstrate the ubiquity and spread of the propulseur design above, at other places such as Bedeilhac and St Michel d'Arudy.
Source: Palaeolithic Spear-Throwers. Garrod, D. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 21, 1955.
Phallus from Mas d'Azil.
Phallus
Carved ivory
Cat 359
Origin : Mas-d’Azil cave, Ariège
Photo: © photo - Loïc Hamon, Musée des Antiquités nationales, Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
Photo Source: http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/app/eng/96ce1735.htm
Two Ibex, carved on both sides of a lower tooth of a sperm whale. One of the ibex is sideways, and one is longitudinal on the tooth.
The ibex are wrapped around the edge of the tooth, and a perforation was made in the tooth, presumably so that the sculpture could be worn as a pendant.
Photo: Bouquetins sculptés
sur dent de cachalot
Catalogue n° 354
Grotte du Mas-d'Azil,
Ariège
Musée des Antiquités nationales,
Saint-Germain-en-Laye
© photo - Loïc Hamon
Photo Source: http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/app/fr/47257.htm
Possibly a bovine.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Source: Facsimile, display, Grotte du Mas d'Azil
Facsimile of the famous sculpture of a horse head from Mas d'Azil, front and back.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Source: Facsimile, display, Grotte du Mas d'Azil
... and the original drawing by Édouard Piette.
Photo: Wikimedia commons
Description: Deutsch: Darstellung eines prähistorischen Pferdekopfs aus Mas d'Azil (Pyrenäen, Frankreich) Museo de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Date:1913
Source: Congrés international d'Anthropologie et d'Archéologie préhistoriques. Ginebra 1913
Author: Édouard Piette
Permission: This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.
Sculpture of an animal head, possibly a horse.
The object may have had a distinct purpose, apart from decoration, judging by the holes in it, and the projections at one end.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Source: Facsimile, display, Grotte du Mas d'Azil
Sculpture of an animal head, possibly a horse. This object also seems distorted to fulfil some purpose other than decoration.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Source: Facsimile, display, Grotte du Mas d'Azil
Sculpture of an animal head, possibly a horse, with the flesh removed. It would be very interesting to know what part horses played in this society, but it seems obvious they were at the least very important.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Source: Facsimile, display, Grotte du Mas d'Azil
Le Mas d'Azil is famous for its horse heads. Some have what appear to be halters on them, indicative of domestication.
All these images come from Le Mas d'Azil except Lortet at the top and the 1975 discovery at Espalungue, Arudy at the bottom.
Photo: Hadingham (1979)
Heads of Cervidae - either deer or reindeer. It is possible that these were hunted as they crossed rivers, which is why we sometimes get engravings showing just the heads, a common sight as they crossed deep rivers, and were vulnerable to the spears and darts of hunters.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Source: Facsimile, display, Grotte du Mas d'Azil
Pebble with an engraving of a bison.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Source: Facsimile, display, Grotte du Mas d'Azil
Bone sewing needle with a sandstone pebble used to shape it.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Source: Facsimile, display, Grotte du Mas d'Azil
This was a poorly presented collection of bones found at le Mas d'Azil, including the distinctive shapes of mammoth teeth, in a badly lit alcove protected by steel mesh.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Source: Display, Grotte du Mas d'Azil
On the way up to a viewing platform.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
The viewing platform was high above the floor of the main cave and the southern entrance of the river and highway to the cave, with the pedestrian crossing to the display side cave entrance visible.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
We returned the way we had come, to the side cave entrance, through the vast internal cavern.
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008
Discovered by Édouard Piette, this little figurine was first described by him in 1888.
Piette (1888)
The figurine is 51 mm long, and has been sculpted in the root of a horse incisor. The shape was dictated to a large extent by the material used.
Photo: Duhard (1992)
This female statuette, 72 mm x 17 mm carved from antler, reminds me strongly of the female/bird sculptures of Mezin.
It was first described by Chollot (1964)
Photo: Duhard (1992)
Man confronts a bear.
This is a stunning work. It consisted originally of a disk, with an engraving on each side.
Disk carved from a scapula (bovine?) Fragmented, 78 mm x 37 mm.
On one side of the disk, we have a human male with an erect penis confronting a bear, with a heavy stick over his shoulder, and on the other side, a man being struck down by a bear.
It was first described in Piette (1902)
Photo: Duhard (1992)
Description: Portrait d'Édouard Piette ( 1827-1906) - Tirage d'époque - auteur anonyme - Archives du Musée d'archéologie nationale de Saint-Germain en Laye - France. (photographié en exposition)
Date: 4 décembre 2008
Source: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Edouard_Piette.jpg
Travail personnel
Auteur: Siren-Com
Permission: (Réutilisation de ce fichier) Licence [modifier] En tant que détenteur du droit d’auteur, je publie cette œuvre sous les licences suivantes :w:fr:Creative Commons paternité partage à l’identique Ce fichier est disponible selon les termes de la licence Creative Commons Paternité – Partage des conditions initiales à l’identique 3.0 Unported
| Species | Common Name | Number | MNI = Minimum Number of Individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rangifer tarandus | Reindeer | 1268 | 92 |
| Cervus elaphus | Red Deer | 464 | 24 |
| Equus caballus | Horse | 174 | 12 |
| Bos primigenius | Aurochs | 17 | 7 |
| Bison priscus | Steppe Bison | 9 | 2 |
| Bos or Bison | Cattle or Bison | 150 | 15 |
| Capreolus capreolus | European Roe Deer or Chevreuil | 2 | 1 |
| Rupicapra rupicapra | Chamois | 13 | 3 |
| Capra ibex pyrenaïca | Spanish Ibex | 20 | 4 |
| Sus scrofa | Wild Boar | 2 | 1 |
| Canis lupus | Grey Wolf | 11 | 1 |
| Ursus spaeleus | Cave Bear | 4 | 1 |
| Crocuta spelaea | Cave Hyena | 4 | 2 |
| Vulpes vulpes | Red Fox | 20 | 5 |
| Oryctolagus cuniculus | European Rabbit | 1 | 1 |
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