Centre des monuments nationaux

Come and discover an exceptional grouping of prehistoric sites at Les Eyzies-de-Tayac in the Dordogne, most of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Encounter Homo sapiens, the remains of his habitat, his daily activities and his art.

Visiting the prehistoric sites in the Vézère valley 

• Key scientific sites. The archaeological sites at La Ferrassie, La Micoque, and Le Moustier, and the Laugerie-Haute shelter display different levels of occupation, used to define the cultures in terms of the material used. 

• Decorated rock-shelters and caves. Many sites have symbolic artwork of the first order, on a par with that at Lascaux, including the Font-de-Gaume cave with its polychrome bestiary, the Combarelles cave with its engravings, the Cap-Blanc and Abri du Poisson rock-shelters with their high relief sculptures, and the Teyjat cave to the north of Périgueux with its rare engraved bestiary from the very end of the Ice Age and small museum.

Understanding the prehistoric sites in the Vézère valley 

• Where Homo sapiens chose to settle. The human and animal populations of Northern Europe took refuge in the Aquitaine basin during the Ice Ages. The Vézère valley was a refuge for Neanderthal and then Cro-Magnon man.

• Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, the world capital of prehistory. The quality and number of remains near and around Les Eyzies are unique in Western Europe. The National Museum of Prehistory has been extended several times, and houses collections of great interest for the history of humanity, staged in a contemporary way.