THE MARGOT CAVE (MAYENNE): A NEW PALAEOLITHIC SANCTUARY IN WEST FRANCE

Since 1999, a research project called Les occupations paleolithiques de la vallee de l'Erve, directed by Jean-Laurent Monnier, is organized by the UMR 6566-CReAAH du CNRS, University of Rennes-1, to perform archaeological studies in the Erve valley, with special regard to cave art. There are now new archaeological researches led by Stephan Hinguant which give us at last a reliable stratigraphic context and engravings sandstones for the upper palaeolithic period in the valley. Today, a new decorated cave has been discovered in Mayenne: the Margot Cave. This is the first decorated cave identified in Western France since 1967. Up to now, there are 101 representations known, including 7 horses, 8 woolly rhinoceroses and 5 birds. We attribute the positive and negative hands and the paintings to the Gravettian period, the engravings to the Solutrean and Magdalenian period.