La Ferrassie | |
 La Ferrassie | |
  Location in France  La Ferrassie (France)  La Ferrassie (Europe) | |
| Location | near Savignac-de-Miremont |
|---|---|
| Region | Dordogne, France |
| Coordinates | 44°57′07″N 0°56′17″E / 44.95194°N 0.93806°E |
La Ferrassie is an archaeological site in Savignac-de-Miremont, in the Dordogne department, France.[1] The site, located in the Vézère valley,[2] consists of a large and deep cave flanked by two rock shelters[3] within a limestone cliff, under which there is a scree slope formation.[1]
Artifacts found at the site are the productions of Mousterian (300,000-30,000 BP), Aurignacian (45,000–35,000 BP), and Périgordian (35,000–20,000 BP) cultures.[4] The cave area contains Gravettian (32,000–22,000 BP) objects and the scree contains objects from all these ages as well as the Châtelperronian (35,000-29,000 PB). The site was abandoned during the Gravettian period (27 kya).[3] Complex Mousterian burial structures found at La Ferrasie finally provided the evidence of Neanderthal burial practice.[5]
A small area of the site was initially investigated by M. Tabanou in 1896,[3] a teacher who died of a landslide at the Badegoule rock shelter shortly thereafter.[6] Denis Peyrony and Louis Capitan explored the site in 1905, 1907 and 1912; Peyrony in 1934, Henri Delporte in 1969 and 1984, and Delporte with Tuffreau in 1984.[4][1]
At least seven Neanderthals have been found in La Ferrassie, including infants and one[7] fetus. All specimens were found in a thin 60 cm archaeological layer dated to 74-68 thousand years ago.
| Name | Develop- mental age |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
| La Ferrassie 1 ♂ | 45 | The skeleton of an adult male, including the most complete Neanderthal skull ever found.[8][better source needed] Discovered in 1909.[3] |
| La Ferrassie 2 ♀ | 25–30 | An incomplete cranium and skeleton of a female Neanderthal found in 1910 and dated to 68-74,000 before present. This is now kept in the Musée de l'Homme.[3] |
| La Ferrassie 3 | 10 | A partial child skeleton.[9]: 30–31 [10] |
| La Ferrassie 4 | 8.5 months (fetal age)[9] |
The bones of a late-term fetus or of a newborn. Now thought to belong to Le Moustier 2.[7] |
| La Ferrassie 4bis | ~12 days[10]: 26 | A partial child skeleton.[9]: 30–31 [10] |
| La Ferrassie 5 | ~7 months (fetal age)[10] |
Fetus[9]: 38 [11] |
| La Ferrassie 6 | 3–5 | Nearly complete skeleton of a juvenile discovered in 1921.[3] |
| "La Ferrassie 7" | – | A talus bone named LF7 by Boule (1924), who thought despite its small size that it represented a third adult. Now thought part of La Ferrassie 3.[10]: 6 |
| La Ferrassie 8 | 22–26 months[9]: 41 | Young child with well-preserved teeth. |
