Grotte de la Salpêtrière

About

The cave of La Salpêtrière is a deep rock shelter located in the commune of Remoulins in the department of Gard en Languedoc-Roussillon (Occitanie region). It has delivered one of the most complete stratigraphies of the Upper Paleolithic for the Mediterranean Midi of France and is the eponymous site of the Salpetrian, a paleolithic culture dated about 19,000 years before the present.

Situation: The shelter is 200 metres downstream of the Pont du Gard, on the right bank, on the town of Remoulins, some 50 metres east of the municipal boundary with Vers-Pont-du-Gard.

Archaeology: The numerous excavations carried out since 1872 have almost exhausted the deposit. Recent campaigns have recognized levels attributed to the Aurignacian, Gravettien, Solutrean, Salpetrian, Magdalenian, Neolithic and Chalcolithic. A piece of antelope saïga (Saiga tatarica) has been attributed to the layers (filling) corresponding to the Tardiglaciary (Würm IV, ~16,050 to 9,700 BC).

Protection: The cave has been classified as Historic Monuments since 19 June 1931. She's not open for the visit.