cave system
Child’s footprint: Large burial cave discovered in France
A child’s footprint is clearly visible. Photo: Ph. Galant/DRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The large cave system in France was discovered back in 2021, but amazing information is only now coming to the public. In addition to clay pots, casts and bones were also found.
Thousands of years ago, humans used a large cave system in present-day France as a burial site.
In the more than one kilometer long system northeast of Bordeaux, bones and skulls of people, pottery and the footprint of a child were found, among other things, said France’s Ministry of Culture. It is one of the largest burial caves in France. It was used in the Bronze Age: probably between 2200 and 800 BC.
The archaeologists have so far only explored a fraction of the cave system around 20 meters underground, said a spokeswoman for the ministry. In the years to come, knowledge about possible other forms of use could be added. The underground structure was discovered by accident during road construction work near La Rochefoucauld-en-Angoumois in February 2021, it is said. Now the ministry is sharing information about it with the public for the first time.