Cussac Cave
Grotte de Cussac · Cussac Gravettian Cave
Gravettian ~28–25 ka BP·Gravettian·🇫🇷 Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Dordogne, France
About
About Cussac Cave
Pristine Gravettian engraved cave discovered 2000, sealed by roof collapse. Its 1.6 km gallery holds >100 monumental engravings — bison 4 m long, mammoths, aurochs, horses, ibex and rare anseriform birds — traced with flint on soft clay-draped walls at 25,000 BP. Floor preserves Gravettian human remains and intact cave bear hibernation nests, untouched since Paleolithic. Closed to public to preserve CO2 balance.
Why it mattersOnly intact Gravettian funerary cave with in situ human remains and monumental parietal art.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Human burials directly beneath engraved bison – intentional pairing
- 02Aviform figures unique to Gravettian
Theories
- 01Funerary gallery pairing dead with megafauna
- 02Bear cult sanctuary reused from bear hibernation
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.28,000–25,000 BP
- Period
- Gravettian ~28–25 ka BP
- Culture
- Gravettian
- Builders
- Gravettian groups of Périgord
- Purpose
- Monumental engraved gallery with funerary/bear ritual association
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c.28,000–25,000 BP
Initial construction
c. 1430 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
44.8311° N · 0.8461° E · 110 m · 2 mapped features
Grand Bison Panel
petroglyph panel4 m engraved bison herd
44.8312° N · 0.8463° EFunerary Locus
burialHuman remains on cave floor beneath engravings
44.8310° N · 0.8459° E
Gallery