Les Eyzies de Tayac
It
is commonplace for Les Eyzies to be introduced as the world's Prehistoric
Capital and the numerous painted caves and, particularly, the proliferation
of rock shelters only confirm this notion. The most varied prehistoric,
and historic, styles and periods are represented, making Les Eyzies the
archetypal town for travelling through the past. This vast, motionless
promenade enables us to appreciate more thoroughly the passing of prehistoric
time. From La Micoque to Laugerie-Basse, from 300,000 to 5000 years B.C.,
prehistory at Les Eyzies lasted one hundred and fifty times longer than
the Christian era.
Even if you only have a passing interest in prehistoric times, Les Eyzies would be worth a visit. if only for its site. At the confluence of the Vezere and the Beune. the little village. out of which rises an old castle converted into a museum. clings to the bottom of tall cliffs containing shelters, caves and troglodyte dwellings. crowned with green oaks and juniper trees. Having crossed the Vezere. a little road which winds between the river and the rocks follows the prehistoric "Royal road" an unimaginable succession of caves and shelters in an impressive framework of cliffs.
The
chalk uplands which surround Les Eyzies are rich in flint, crisss-crossed
with dozens of secret clefts and valleys, dominated by cliffs with
hidden caves made fine hunting country for prehistoric man. Solid
natural materials abound for making weapons and tools, and the shelter
of the rock formations made the Périgord a perfect place to
live. 100,000 years ago neanderthal man walked the valley of the Dordogne
and left sufficient remains to make it a focal point of prehistory.
Although he was named after the small valley in Germany where, in
1856, bines were found that fit his description, it was at Le Moustier,
near Les Eyzies, that archaeologists first catalogued his weapons
and tools.
The oldest
human skeletal remains found in the Dordogne are of Neanderthal Man.
The Moustier site yielded three complete skeletons another was found
at Le Rigourdou, and at La Ferrassie, near Le Bugue, seven were unearthed,
including some young children's. These skeletons reveal that Neanderthal
Man rarely lived to the age of thirty, and had Sophisticated burial
rites involving funeral ceremonies. In some cases. the bodies were
placed in dug graves and covered with earth, stones or slabs. Such
respect for the dead must surely indicate that Neanderthal Man was
capable of Philosophical reflection and perhaps a belief in an after
life.
USEFUL INFO
TOURIST
OFFICE**
19, rue de la Préhistoire
24620 LES EYZIES de TAYAC-SIREUIL - DORDOGNE - FRANCE
Tel : 00 335 53 06 97 05 - Fax : 00 335 53 06 90 79
E-mail : contact@leseyzies.com
Opening hours
From 1st /10 to 31st /3
- open from Monday to Saturday: 9-12 / 2-6
From 1st /4 to 31st /5
- open from Monday to Saturday: 9-12 / 2-6
and on Sunday: 10-12 / 2-5
July and August
- open from Monday to Saturday: 9-7
and on Sunday: 10-12 / 2-6
June and September
- open from Monday to Sunday: 9-6
and on Sunday: 10-12 / 2-5
On the spot
ATM machine or ticket machine
change
cyber cafe
bicycle rental
Access
By road:
From Paris A10/A20
From Lyon A47/A89
From Bordeaux A89
From Marseille A55/A9/N9/N140/N89
From Nantes A83/D948/N10/D939//N89
By air:
Airport Périgueux-Bassillac: 00 335 53 02 79 70
Airport Bergerac-Roumazières: 00 335 53 57 00 09
T.A.T. Airport Brive (Corrèze): 00 335 55 86 88 36
Airport Bordeaux-Mérignac: 00 335 56 34 50 50
By train:
Train station in Les Eyzies, line Périgueux - Agen: 00 335
53 06 97 22
or enquiry office for travellers: 00 338 36 35 35 35.
A daily train for Périgueux and Sarlat
and everyday a train for Paris.
By bus:
Voyages Rey : 24260 Le Bugue - Tel: 00 335 53 07 27 22 - Fax :00 335
53 54 11 69
PLACES
TO STAY:.. Ferme
de Tayac **5
min. walk from Ferme
de Tayac**
