During excavations in France, archaeologists discover stone tablets with images of horses. The finds change the history of the region.
During excavations in southern France, archaeologists made a surprising discovery: depictions of horses. The finds in the village of Bellegarde are an important contribution to the history of the region.
That’s how the place is already 20,000 years before Christ been inhabited, specialists from the French archeology institute Inrap explained to journalists on Thursday. The horse images on the stone tablets are also “particularly rare in south-eastern France – and completely unexpected at the gates of the Camargue,” according to the director of the excavation project, Vincent Mourre.
Stone tablet with images of horses found in southern France: what makes the works so special
The pictures are therefore “among the oldest known works” of this culture Altsteinzeit. According to the findings of the specialists, they were created at the same time as the famous Stone Age paintings in the Lascaux Cave in western France, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The archaeologists were first called to the Costières de Nîmes wine-growing region in southern France in 2015. They finally found one on the site of an emerging landfill site primeval hunter settlement.
The somewhat higher location of Bellegarde therefore had special advantages: It was probably suitable as a stopover for people due to a nearby water source nomadic peoples. In addition, it probably offered a good view of the wild herds of horses that roamed the lower-lying, wide plains of the Camargue.
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Archaeologists make sensational finds – some are said to be over 22,000 years old
During the next eleven months excavations The archaeologists unearthed around 100,000 objects made of polished flint, such as weapons and tools, as well as animal bones and shells, which were probably used as jewelry. Some of the finds are more than 22,000 years old.
The researchers were particularly moved when, while cleaning the collected objects, they saw two small limestone slabs with engraved horse profiles in their hands – and in them eyes, mane and mouth were clearly visible. (dpa/fmg)
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