Then journey off-the-beaten-track to Le Moustier rock shelter, which was the first site to give its name to a Neanderthal stone tool culture, and also contained an adolescent and newborn infant skeletons with incredible histories of discovery, loss and rediscovery during two world wars. The day starts setting the scene with a visit to the National Prehistory Museum, which houses France’s largest Palaeolithic collection with more than 18,000 exhibits tracing over 400 millennia of human presence. The area surrounding Les Eyzies has a wealth of prehistoric sites that you will be visiting.ĭAY 3: THE NATIONAL PREHISTORY MUSEUM AND LE MOUSTIER In the evening, you will arrive at Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil to check into Hotel Moulin de la Beune for three nights. It was here in 1979 that a fragmented skeleton of a 36,000-year-old Neanderthal nicknamed Pierrette was found. This morning you will visit the Paléosite outdoor museum and the nearby La Roche de Pierrot excavation site for a guided tour. In the evening, you will meet archaeologist and author Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes, who will be accompanying you and will be giving evening talks and informal walking seminars throughout the tour. On arrival at Bordeaux Airport, you will be transferred to the historic town of Saintes to check in at the Hotel Les Messageries. Visit renowned archaeological sites and gain a deep understanding into the life and development of the Neanderthals, all while discovering the beautiful medieval towns and stunning countryside of the south of France.ĭAY 1: ARRIVE INTO SAINTES AND MEET DR REBECCA WRAGG SYKES As stone artisans, carpenters and inventors of the first synthetic material, Neanderthals pioneered new technologies, and they lived not just through ice ages but in warm woodland worlds too. Far from confined and unvarying, Neanderthal minds were focused on quality and efficiency, yet also flexible and creative. In this tour, Rebecca shows how advances in archaeological methods, especially over the past three decades, have transformed our understanding of these ancient ancestors. While their fossils were first recognised some 160 years ago, until recently nobody knew whether or not Neanderthals had any culture or complex cognitive abilities. See some of the oldest traces left by archaic humans: stone tools, art objects, cave paintings and skeletons that have changed the way we think about Neanderthals. Step back in time on a journey to the key Neanderthal and Upper Palaeolithic sites of southern France between Bordeaux and Nice with Palaeolithic archaeologist and author Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes. Contact an expert to book your Discovery Tourġ1 June (guaranteed departure, spaces left) and 1 September 2023 - 10 days for £4,539
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