Cussac Cave Gravettian Panel D
Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)·Multi-period rock art·🇫🇷 Dordogne, Cussac, France
About
About Cussac Cave Gravettian Panel D
Cussac Cave Gravettian Panel D in Dordogne, Cussac, France is a Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE) rock art attributed to Multi-period rock art. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal panel 12 m long × 3 m high and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 44.8310N 1.0630E controls access to Dordogne resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey rock art for Dordogne, Cussac, illustrating Multi-period rock art construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Meaning of iconographic motifs
- 02Dating of superimposed phases
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
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. 15000 BCE–500 CE
- Period
- Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)
- Culture
- Multi-period rock art
- Purpose
- Rock art sanctuary and ritual landscape with petroglyphs/pictographs
- Rediscovered
- 1967 survey
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
Initial construction of Cussac Cave Gravettian Panel D main structure
c. 1947
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1962–2007
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Cussac Cave Gravettian Panel D) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
44.8310° N · 1.0630° E · 409 m · 3 mapped features
Cussac Cave Gravettian Panel D — Main Structure
panelPrincipal rock art — Panel 12 m long × 3 m high with diagnostic masonry/panel
44.8318° N · 1.0639° ECussac Cave Gravettian Panel D — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
44.8300° N · 1.0623° ECussac Cave Gravettian Panel D — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with petroglyph panel extension
44.8325° N · 1.0642° E