Grotte de Bruniquel et ses cercles de stalagmites

Bruniquel

At the bottom of a cave in the Tarn-et-Garonne, far from the light, someone set up circles of stone some 176,500 years ago. The cave was discovered in February 1990 by cavers, who dug through a scree. In a hall located 336 metres from the present entrance, they found two rings and four heaps made of broken stalagmite pieces laid in lines: about 400 pieces, 112 metres in total, 2.2 tonnes of calcite brought from very close by. Traces of fire redden and blacken the rock, and a burnt bone was found. A first carbon-14 test (1995) gave only a minimum age of 47,600 years, the limit of the method. In 2014–2016, uranium-thorium dating of the stalagmites showed that the circles were built by Neanderthals. Researchers read in them a social organisation more complex than was thought; the use remains unknown, and nothing proves a rite. The site has been inscribed as a historic monument since 4 March 2019.

Getting there: No public access according to the pages read (inscription as a historic monument, fragile cave, research under way); no visit is announced. Coordinates from Wikipédia FR (point of the cave, approximate), the hall being 336 m from the entrance.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound