Pech Merle Spotted Horses Panel Central
Pech Merle Spotted Horses Panel Central North Annex · Pech Site
Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)·Multi-period rock art·🇫🇷 Lot, Pech Merle, France
About
About Pech Merle Spotted Horses Panel Central
Pech Merle Spotted Horses Panel Central in Lot, Pech Merle, 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 44.5070N 1.6420E controls access to Lot 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 Lot, Pech Merle, 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
- 1968 survey
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
Initial construction of Pech Merle Spotted Horses Panel Central main structure
c. 1948
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1963–2008
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Pech Merle Spotted Horses Panel Central) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
44.5070° N · 1.6420° E · 416 m · 4 mapped features
Pech Merle Spotted Horses Panel Central — Main Structure
panelPrincipal rock art — Panel 12 m long × 3 m high with diagnostic masonry/panel
44.5078° N · 1.6429° EPech Merle Spotted Horses Panel Central — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
44.5060° N · 1.6413° EPech Merle Spotted Horses Panel Central — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with petroglyph panel extension
44.5085° N · 1.6432° EPech Merle Spotted Horses Panel Central — Hydraulic/Cistern
hydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir or rock-cut channel associated with site
44.5054° N · 1.6409° E