They had hitherto gone unnoticed, camouflaged by vegetation. And it was only thanks to a clearing operation, organized there, at the foot of a rock wall in a hamlet of Valdeblore (Alpes-Maritimes), to mark out climbing routes, that two walkers, a father and his son, fell on it. 120 cave paintings over 4,000 years old were unearthed last August.
“There are male sexual anthropomorphs, some dogs, other animals, and idoliforms, that is, deities. There are also bows, daggers, ”detailed at 20 minutes Claude Salicis, the president of the Institute of Prehistory and Archeology Alpes Méditerranée (IMAAP) who was able to authenticate them.
A “rare” discovery near the Valley of Wonders
Told by Nice morning, the discovery of this open-air museum, just a few kilometers from the Valley of Wonders and its 40,500 engravings dating from the end of prehistory, might seem almost trivial. But it is “rare”, confirms the specialist. Because the “artists” at work here did not cut into the rock, they covered it with paint. “And until then, we had only listed two in the entire Alpes-Maritimes department”, supports Claude Salicis.
The 120 “signs” of Valdeblore, found just above the hamlet of La Roche, were also to be even more numerous, according to him. In 2007, initial work on the wall, used by climbing enthusiasts, may have damaged the site.
“Flats have been planed. Certain drawings have undoubtedly purely and simply disappeared”, he explains. At the time, in any case, no one had reported them. “In direct sunlight, they are difficult to see. It’s yellow with a bit of pink on yellow because of Cargneule [la roche locale] that was used for the pigments,” he says.
In late Neolithic times
The IMAAP, which analyzed these colours, studied the shapes and corroborated everything with carbon-14 dating, is almost certain about the period of execution of these 120 “schematic cave paintings”. It would be between 2,100 and 2,000 years BC, “a pivotal period located in the last times of the Neolithic and the beginnings of the Bronze Age”. And it would be testimonies “of whole sections of their ways of life, their behavior, their beliefs”.
On closer inspection, the president of the institute was even convinced that the area was then “sacred” for those who were behind these drawings. “Maybe they were Neolithic warriors. On the wall, we see in particular a scene of combat, another of chaos and yet another last which represents a funeral, details the expert. A burial shelter may have been located nearby. Moreover, according to the Napoleonic cadastre, the sector is nicknamed “Prohïbit”. A term that means forbidden, prohibited. It would therefore be an area that must be protected and above all not desecrated. »
“Protecting them for the common good”
Steps have also been taken to sanctuary the place. “But it takes time and it won’t be for at least five years,” says Claude Salicis. In the meantime, in the last volume of its memoirs, the IMAAP reports on this discovery to “raise awareness of the importance of these few ‘signs’ of the past”. “It would be so easy to [les] protect for the common good before irreversible disappearance linked to climatic or human activities”, points out the institute.
The announcement of the discovery has already unfortunately prompted the arrival of curious people. And much more recent drawings, drawn in chalk, were found right next to this multi-millennial heritage on Monday. Much to the chagrin of archaeologists.
The students of the Lycée de la Montagne, in Valdeblore, who used to climb the mountain above the hamlet of La Roche, were made aware, says Claude Salicis. A conference is also planned in the village on February 11. For one purpose. So that these vestiges can continue for several millennia.