Abstract
The cave of Isturitz is one of the most important archaeological sites of the prehistory of Western Europe. Human occupations followed each other in the cavity from at least the Middle Paleolithic to the Roman age. In 1913, Passermard started archaeological excavations there, and a calcite pillar was discovered next to the original entrance that was sculpted with a dozen of animal representations. In this excavation, the Magdalenian levels yielded a considerable quantity of portable art objects. In the last few years, several workers have resumed the study of those pieces. Since 2011, we have created a research team for the study of the parietal figures of the cave, as well as other elements, for example the objects embedded in the walls. We present here our first results, which improve in the understanding of the artistic activities of Upper Palaeolithic peoples by shedding light at the art analyzed in Isturitz.
Highlights
IntroductionGaztelu hillIsturitz cave is one of a series of cavities in the Gaztelu hill (towns of Isturitz and Saint-Martind’Arberoue, Pyrénées-Atlantiques), a major site for Franco-Cantabrian prehistory
Gaztelu hillIsturitz cave is one of a series of cavities in the Gaztelu hill, a major site for Franco-Cantabrian prehistory
With regard to the figurations of the Large Pillar, the data that we presented concerning the formal characteristics and techniques of the representations allow us to correlate the parietal art of the cavity with the mobiliary representations, in the case of the reindeer represented on panels of the levels of the Middle Magdalenian of the Large Hall and the Saint Martin Hall
Summary
Gaztelu hillIsturitz cave is one of a series of cavities in the Gaztelu hill (towns of Isturitz and Saint-Martind’Arberoue, Pyrénées-Atlantiques), a major site for Franco-Cantabrian prehistory. Our observations on the shape of this entrance at the beginning of the middle Paleolithic suggest a width between 15 and 20 m and a height of close to 10 m Such an opening would definitely have been visible from far away and could have, very early on, attracted the prehistoric populations who spent time in the valley. During this period of history, only the entrance located in the town of Isturitz was usable; this fact explains the name of the cavity, most of its area is in
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