Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil
Encyclopedia
Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil is a commune
in the Dordogne
department in Aquitaine
in southwestern France
.
Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil lies in the Périgord
Noir area. It is served by the Gare des Eyzies
railroad station. This locale is home to the Musée national de Préhistoire (National Museum of Prehistory) and the area contains several important archaeological sites, including the Font-de-Gaume, Grotte du Grand-Roc and Lascaux cave prehistoric rock dwellings. Les Eyzies-de-Tayac was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.
, financed by Henry Christy
, discovered the first five skeleton
s of Cro-Magnon
s, the earliest known examples of Homo sapiens sapiens, in the Cro-Magnon rock shelter at Les Eyzies-de-Tayac. These skeletons included a foetus, and the skulls found were remarkably modern-looking and much rounder than the earlier Neanderthal
.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Dordogne
Dordogne
Dordogne is a départment in south-west France. The départment is located in the region of Aquitaine, between the Loire valley and the High Pyrénées named after the great river Dordogne that runs through it...
department in Aquitaine
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
in southwestern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil lies in the Périgord
Périgord
The Périgord is a former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne département, now forming the northern part of the Aquitaine région. It is divided into four regions, the Périgord Noir , the Périgord Blanc , the Périgord Vert and the Périgord Pourpre...
Noir area. It is served by the Gare des Eyzies
Gare des Eyzies
Les Eyzies is a railway station in Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, Aquitaine, France. The station is located on the Niversac - Agen railway line. The station is served by TER services operated by SNCF.-Train Services:...
railroad station. This locale is home to the Musée national de Préhistoire (National Museum of Prehistory) and the area contains several important archaeological sites, including the Font-de-Gaume, Grotte du Grand-Roc and Lascaux cave prehistoric rock dwellings. Les Eyzies-de-Tayac was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.
History
In March 1868, the geologist Louis LartetLouis Lartet
Louis Lartet was a French geologist and paleontologist. He discovered the original Cro-Magnon skeletons.Louis Lartet was born in Castelnau-Magnoac, in Seissan in the département of Gers...
, financed by Henry Christy
Henry Christy
Henry Christy was an English banker and collector who left his substantial collections to the British Museum.-Early life:...
, discovered the first five skeleton
Skeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
s of Cro-Magnon
Cro-Magnon
The Cro-Magnon were the first early modern humans of the European Upper Paleolithic. The earliest known remains of Cro-Magnon-like humans are radiometrically dated to 35,000 years before present....
s, the earliest known examples of Homo sapiens sapiens, in the Cro-Magnon rock shelter at Les Eyzies-de-Tayac. These skeletons included a foetus, and the skulls found were remarkably modern-looking and much rounder than the earlier Neanderthal
Neanderthal
The Neanderthal is an extinct member of the Homo genus known from Pleistocene specimens found in Europe and parts of western and central Asia...
.
Population
See also
- Font-de-Gaume
- Château de CommarqueChâteau de CommarqueThe Château de Commarque is a castle located between Sarlat and Les Eyzies, in the commune of Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil in the Dordogne département, southern France. It stands on a rocky outcrop in the valley of the river Beune.-History:...
- Communes of the Dordogne department
- Les CombarellesLes CombarellesLes Combarelles is a cave in Les Eyzies de Tayac, Dordogne, France, which was inhabited by Cro-Magnon people approximately 13–11,000 years ago. Holding more than 600 pre-historic engravings of animals and symbols, the two galleries in the cave were crucial in the re-evaluation of the mental and...