The new national prehistoric museum of Eyzies de Tayac bares all

Built in an overhang shelter on the face of a striking cliff, the National Prehistoric Museum of Eyzies de Tayac is located in Dordogne, in southwestern France. The museum features unique archaeological collections chiefly discovered at the most prestigious excavation sites in the Vézère Valley, added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List owing to its many Palaeolithic remains. 300,000 visitors annually are expected at the new museum, located in the heart of the Périgord Noir area, land of French philosopher Montaigne – a region acclaimed for its history, beautiful landscapes of dark and mysterious forests, and world-renowned gastronomy.

Established since July 2004 in the new building designed by architect Jean-Pierre Buffi, the museum houses some 18,000 pieces and a collection of six million objects.“Although the new museum bears witness to the presence of men and women of the 21st century, its modernity manifests itself through its environment, marked by the sheer height of the cliff it is built on and the small size of the historical village of Eyzies-de-Tayac, with its 900 inhabitants and its medieval ruins”, remarks Jean-Pierre Buffi, architect of the Toulouse multimedia library and of the Façade of the Bercy Park in Paris.

The museum’s collections were established as early as 1913, when indefatigable researcher Denis Peyrony convinced the French state to acquire the Château des Eyzies, built at the end of the 16th century, and to transform it into an excavation warehouse that could double up as a museum. These collections have since been tremendously enriched through excavation discoveries at regional sites as well as private donations.

“The museum made a political choice by deciding not to portray the entire history of the Hominids’ development”, explains Jean-Jacques Cleyet-Merle, the museum’s director since 1988. “Instead, the museum describes the Palaeolithic era: the history of the Neanderthals, who vanished 50,000 years ago, and of the Cro-Magnon man, who lived in socially structured groups, buried his dead and made objects that had a symbolic meaning”.

Visitors enter the new museum as though embarking on a trip to the origins of humanity. At the museum’s entrance, the main chapters of the Hominids’ development are evoked through an anthropological frieze and a brief reminder of Africa’s history, starting with the early Australopithecines. Many themes are explored, including the legendary “Lucy”, the small 3.5-million-year-old woman discovered in Ethiopia in 1974. Next, the staircase leading to the permanent exhibit galleries plunges visitors into the mists of time, revealing seven sequences that cover the entire Palaeolithic era through an “idealstratigraphy”.

Upon leaving the“abysses of time”, visitors – equipped with the keys necessary for interpreting the rest of the exhibit – slide into the lower gallery and discover, along a passageway, the various material cultures that succeeded one another from 400,000 to 10,000 BC. This same itinerary also retraces the development of these different cultures: early tools, furniture, and other artefacts. Many themes are presented, such as the lifestyle of Neanderthal populations and the appearance of modern man.

In the upper gallery, visitors are invited to follow an initiatory path from the outside world of mankind’s ancestors to the semi-darkness of the painted caves. Museum-goers can also admire the replicas of prehistoric hearths, of the homes built under shelters and of the places of origin of the objects on display in the rest of the gallery. The reconstructed grave of “L’enfant de la Madeleine” is of particular interest in this section.

Each object – statuettes, jewels, harpoons, lamps, scrapers of all sorts, to name but some of the pieces – has been selected with great care, based on its representativeness and its state of conservation.

Organised by Jean-Jacques Cleyet-Merle, in close partnership with the Scientific Council chaired by Jean-Philippe Rigaud, honorary director of the Institute for Prehistory and Quaternary Geology of Bordeaux, the new National Prehistoric Museum’s scientific programme has been influenced by the establishment’s location at the heart of the prestigious sites and deposits from which its acquired its exceptional collections. In addition to the famous Lascaux Cave and its colourful cave paintings, many listed sites hark back to 400,000 years of human history, from the Font-de-Gaume cave to the Combarelles and Rouffignac caves, as well as the Poisson, Moustier and Micoque shelters.

Artists at the time had a very basic colour palette, consisting of black, ochre and red, which they skilfully used to make colour gradations, creating astoundingly lifelike animal scenes. In the new museum, “the ochre tones, such as the grey of the cast-aluminium roofs, mirror the cliff’s timeless colours”, points out Jean-Pierre Buffi.

In addition to presenting its collections to the general public, conserving humankind’s heritage and supporting archaeological digs, the National Prehistoric Museum also hosts archaeologists, researchers and students from the world over, and collaborates with various foreign institutions.

The abundance of masterpieces, shelters and grottos that dot the entire Vézère Valley, framed by dark and mysterious forests, vineyards and rivers, should not cause visitors to forget that Périgord is also the land of foie gras, duck confit, walnuts, cep mushrooms and the distinct-smelling truffles. Just 20 km away from Eyzies-de-Tayac, Sarlat – a town full of art and history, whose old streets shelter the former home of humanist writer La Boétie – is well worth a visit. One of the favourite visiting places of film directors, this prestigious site regularly hosts special events such as film festivals, theatre games, village celebrations, and much more.

Nestled in the heart of Périgord Noir, Les Eyzies-de-Tayac is sure to captivate you. The entire region, including its soil, beats with the soul of humanity.

The Petrocores took part in the resistance against Rome. Concentrated in two or three major sites are the vestiges of the Gallo-Roman period – the gigantic ruined tower and arenas in Périgueux (formerly Vesone), the Périgord museum’s archaeological collections, villa remains in Montcaret and the Roman tower of La Rigale Castle in Villetoureix. The first cluzeaux, or artificial caves either above or below ground, are found throughout the Dordogne. These subterranean refuges and lookout huts could shelter entire populations. According to Julius Caesar the Gauls took refuge there.

Since the Guienne province had returned to the Crown under the Plantagenets following the re-marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, Périgord passed by right under English suze-rainty. Being situated at the boundaries of influence of the monarchies of France and England, it was to oscillate between the two dynasties for a long time. Over three hundred years of struggle until 1453 and the end of the Hundred Years War were to tear apart and, as a consequence, model its physiognomy.

With the end of the Hundred Years War, the Castillon plain on the banks of the Dordogne, during the calmer periods of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, saw a development in urban architecture. The finest Gothic and Renaissance residences were built in Périgueux, Bergerac and Sarlat. In the countryside, the nobility had the majority of our 1200 chateaux, manors and country houses erected. In the second half of the sixteenth century, however, they experienced attacks, pillaging and fires as the Wars of Religion reached a rare degree of violence in Périgord. At the time, Bergerac was one of the most powerful Huguenot strongholds, along with La Rochelle. Following these wars, Périgord, fief of Henry of Navarre. was to return to the Crown for good and suffer henceforth from the sudden political changes of the French nation, from the Revolution to the tragic hours of the Resistance. We also encounter the memory of its most illustrious literary figures: Bertran de Born, Michel de Montaigne. Etienne de La Boetie, Brantôme, Fenelon. Mahle de Biran, Eugene Le Roy and Andre Maurois; its great captains: Talleyrand, Saint-Exupery, Biron… and even Josephine Baker. A number of ruins (La Chapelle-Faucher, I’Herm…) have retained the memory of the tragedies which took place within their walls. Several of our castles and châteaux are open to visitors and some of them such as Bourdeilles and Mareuil, house remarkable collections.

In addition to its castles, chateaux, churches, Bastides and cave fortresses. Périgord has preserved from centuries past, a number of wonderful villages which still have their market hall, dovecotes, Tories (stone huts), church, abbey and castle (s). Saint-Leon-sur-Vezere, Conclat, Saint-Jefm-de-Cole, La Roque-Gageac and many others are real jewels of architecture. As for the old quarters of Périgueux or Bergerac, restored and developed into pedestrian areas, they have regained their former charm. A number of small towns, such as Brantôme, Issigeac. Eymet and Mareuil, have with-stood the often brash changes of modern times. A special mention should be made in this respect to Sarlat and Black Périgord.

Dordogne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from the former province of Périgord, the county of Périgord.

Geography

The department is part of the region of Aquitaine and is surrounded by the departments of Haute-Vienne, Corrèze, Lot, Lot-et-Garonne, Gironde, and Charente, 6 départements. It is the third largest department of France.

Demographics

Dordogne has become one of the favourite destinations of British immigration to France, (more than 20 000 in 2006)

Tourism

There are more than 1,000 castles in Dordogne, including the following:

Beynac
Biron
Bourdeilles
Castelnaud-la-Chapelle
Commarque
Milandes
Monbazillac
Pécany
Puymartin

The famous caves of Lascaux have been closed to the public, but the duplicate model cave of Lascaux II is open to visitors and is a major tourist attraction. Périgueux has important Roman ruins, including an arena which is still visible inside a public park located near the town centre.

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This site is sponsored by B&B Ferme de Tayac, voted nicest B&B in the Vezere Valley 3 years running.
Ferme de Tayac, a lovely B&B in a 12th century former Farmhouse / Monastery situated in Tayac, a quaint little village in the heart of the Vezere Valley and only 5 minutes walk from Les Eyzies, the Prehistoric Capital of the World. The rooms are all en suite, spacious and comfy, all with views and in former Monks quarters and oozing history. Built up against solid rock, which means that both downstairs and upstairs are on ground level, walls of solid rock, ancient oak beam structures, fortified walls 3 feet thick, a massive and original wine press in the huge dining room, monk’s carvings in the stone walls, and lots and lots more. For more info please visit their official web site : www.fermedetayac.com

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