Grotte de Gabillou
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Grotte de Gabillou also known as Grotte de las Agnelas is a cave in France in which prehistoric ornaments stemming from the Paleolithic period exist.[1] It is situated in the commune of Sourzac in the department of Dordogne, Nouvelle Aquitaine and is a private property.[1] Its sediments are from the Maastrichtian era.[2]
The cave was discovered either in 1940 or in 1941[3] and subsequently its discovery was announced to the Historical and Archaeological Society of Perigord.[3] It was classified as a historic monument on the 20 July 1942.[1] In 1955, the property containing the cave was bought by Jean Gaussen,[4] who in 1964 published a book about the ornaments in the cave which depict mostly animals but also some humans.[4] Some of the caves artifacts were displayed during an exhibition in April 2017.[5] The access in only possible through the basement below one room and research is restricted due to the fragile durability of the ornaments.[5] As of 2015, only researchers with relevant qualifications are allowed to study the cave.[2]
Location and diameters
The cave is only accessible through the basement below a room[5] and the entrance to it is not disclosed to the public.[2] The cave is seated in the valley of the Isle river,[2] in the commune of Sourzac, near Mussidan.[2] The length of the cave is twenty-seven meters, with slim passages of between fifty and sixty cm wide.[3] To the end, the cave widens and forms the "Room of the Red Horse".[2]
