Cave of Gouy

The cave of Gouy or cave of the horse is located at 10 km of Rouen (Seine-Maritime), on the commune of Gouy, at the edge of RN 15, with the foot of the right slope of the valley of the the Seine.

Discovered

She was discovered in 1881 by two inhabitants of Gouy who never spoke about it (one realized some at the time of the second discovered one: they had left a dated inscription). The entry of the cave was cut down besides a length unknown, but probably important, by work of RN 15 in 1934 and 1935. At this time there, of the workmen saw a fault and wanted to go down there, which the site foreman prohibits to them which considered the operation dangerous. It was an occasion missed discovering it. They are two teenagers of Gouy which it " re" discovered in 1956.

Description

After the destruction of 1935, there remained nothing any more but 12 m of gallery, on 2 m, divided into 3 rooms. This " petite" cave is nevertheless priceless by the number and the quality of engravings on chalk which are there, 37 in all: 18 animals, including 7 horned, 7 horses, 1 bird (a raptor probably), 3 unspecified, a possible Anthropomorphic figure , 8 Vulva S, 1 sign " penniforme" , 1 sign " barbelé" , 1 sign claviforme, 7 unspecified signs, of the red layouts and spots… (determination: at the stage of 1972). Engravings are Paléolithique superior (Magdalénien and Magdaléno-Azilien).

The parietal art of Gouy is multiple and complex. However, it is completely clear that it brings invaluable elements on the passage of Magdalénien to Azilien.

A absolute Datation was obtained starting from the Collagène of an osseous fragment (on Tandétron, GIF has 92346: 12.050 ± 130 years BP; H. Valladas). Without dating the ornamentation as a whole, it establishes a frequentation of the cavity at that time.

Other close caves

Another cave, known as " cave with the moines" , was with Port-Saint-Ouen 1 km from Gouy. A engraved stone of a mammoth was discovered there. This cave was destroyed by work of the crossroads of the RN 15 with D7.

Another cave, very little studied, is with Orival (Seine-Maritime) on other bank of the the Seine to 11 km of Gouy.

These caves would be to date, except perhaps two English caves recently discovered, the decorated caves more Septentrional are of Europe. That lets appear that a regional community magdalénienne in valley of the Seine, perhaps in relation to that of the Paris basin (see Verberie, site magdalénien of first importance), was very established at the time hinge of the end of the last glaciation and of the beginning of the Azilien. These communities undoubtedly attended the disappearance of the last Mammouth S, of the woolly Rhinocéros, which they probably had time to drive out on the frozen Seine, except the reindeer and the horse which still remained some time before migrating towards the East. The end of this civilization was to leave room to a forest civilization, dedicated to small game, after the great rise in temperature. In that, they were the last large hunters of Paleolithic in this area.

Conservation of the site

The cave of Gouy is closed with the public; its entry, cemented and closed by a metal door in edge of the RN 15 is not announced. It will be noted that this unit is right in the middle of the project of skirting Is of Rouen whose estimate rises to 600 million euros to the breaking news (March 2006)… Some crumbs of such a budget, devoted to this archaeological treasure, would be a just reward within sight of the damage which road work could inflict with this exceptional and priceless inheritance… Research, conservation and development remain to be made. But nothing like it is not envisaged to date.

References

Bahn Paul G. (1986): No sex please, We' Re Aurignacians. Rock'n'roll Art Research , Volume 3, n° 2, p. 99-104, and comments, p. 105-119.
Bahn Paul G., Pettitt Paul and Ripoll Sergio (2003): Discovery off Palaeolithic undermines in Britain. Antiquity , Volume 77, p. 227-231.
Border Francois, Graindor Maurice-Jacques, Martin Yves and Pierre (1974): The industry of the cave decorated with Gouy (Seine-Maritime). Bulletin of the French Prehistoric Company , volume 71, C.R.S. Mr.
Graindor Maurice-Jacques (1958): Discovered rupestral engravings with Gouy (Seine-Maritime). Anthropology , volume 62, n° 5-6.
Graindor Maurice-Jacques (1959a): Archaeological information. Gallia , T. 2, p. 87-88.
Graindor Maurice-Jacques (1959b): Communication on the prehistoric searchs for Gouy. Bull. Plowshare Flax. Normandy , T. 10, p.149
Graindor Maurice-Jacques (1963): A cave of the Paleolithic superior with Gouy (Seine-Maritime), his parietal discovery and its engravings. ac. Sc Beautiful Letters and Arts of Rouen , p. 111-127.
Graindor Maurice-Jacques (1965a): Archaeological information. Gallia , volume 8, p. 28-30.
Graindor Maurice-Jacques (1965b): Discovered of an engraving of the Paleolithic superior representing a " Éléphant" in Gouy. Review Learned society of High-Normandy Prehistory-Archeology , n° 40, p. 5-7.
Graindor Maurice-Jacques (1968): Rupestral engravings of Gouy. Anthropological rev. , p. 67-73.
Graindor Maurice-Jacques (1971b): Upper Palaeolithic rock'n'roll engravings At Gouy (France). World Archeology , p. 245-251.
Graindor Maurice-Jacques, Martin Pierre and Martin Yves (1965): The discovery of engravings of the cave of Gouy. Archéologia , n° 2, p. 72-80.
Graindor Maurice-Jacques and Martin Yves (1972): the prehistoric art of Gouy . Preface of Jacques Duhamel, Ministre for the Cultural Affairs. ED. Presses of the City, Paris, 155 pages, 65 fig.
Martin Yves (1973): the paleolithic art of Gouy , ED., Yves Martin, Gouy, 156 pages.
Martin Yves (1974): Technique of moulding of rupestral engravings. Bulletin of the French Prehistoric Company , volume 71, C.R.S. Mr. n° 5, p. 146-148.
Martin Yves, Martin Pierre (1984): Cave of Gouy (Seine-Maritime). the Art of the caves. Atlas of the French paleolithic decorated caves . ED. Ministry for the Culture and HMSO, Paris, p. 556-560.
Martin Yves (1988): New discoveries of engravings in Gouy. Presentation submitted to the Museum of the Man. Anthropology , volume 93, n°2, p. 513-546.
Martin Yves (1989): Gouy (Seine-Maritime). Archeology of France, 30 years of discovered in France . ED. Meeting of the national museums, Paris. (495 p.) p.103, 2 fig.
Martin Yves (1990): The parietal art of the paleolithic cave of Gouy. Acts of the Natural history museum of Rouen , p. 30.-42.
Martin Yves (1991): The cave decorated with Gouy. Files of Archeology . n°164, p. 72.-75.
Martin Yves (1993): Method of moulding employed in Gouy. paleolithic parietal art, Techniques and Methods of study . Think tank on the methods of study of paleolithic parietal art. ED. Committee of Historical and Scientific Work, Ministers of education Main road and of the Culture, Higher education and Research, Paris, p. 365-368.
Martin Yves (1998 a): Presentation of the exposure. Catalog of the exposure " Préhistoire" (of October 3rd, 1998, at February 28th, 1999), Foreword of Yves Coppens. Museum of Louviers (the Eure), 60 pages, p. 6 -7.
Martin Yves (1998 b): The decorated paleolithic cave of Gouy. Catalog of the exposure " Préhistoire" (of October 3rd, 1998, at February 28th, 1999), museum of Louviers (the Eure), p. 16.-21.
Martin Yves (1998 c): The paleolithic parietal ornamentation of the cave of the Fox with Orival. Catalog of the exposure " Préhistoire" (of October 3rd, 1998, at February 28th, 1999), museum of Louviers (the Eure), p. 24.-29.
Martin Yves (2001): Authentification of a paleolithic graphic composition on the vault of the cave of Orival (Seine-Maritime). Reports of the Academy of Science of Paris , volume 332, ED. Elsevier, p. 209-216.
Martin Yves (2004): Discovered paintings in the paleolithic cave of Gouy (Seine-Maritime): contribution of an unusual lighting in the study of parietal art. C.R. Académie of Paris . Palevol, volume 3, p. 143-156.
Martin Yves (2006): A remarkable lighting for the study of parietal art: contribution and discovered to Gouy. International Newsletter One Rock'n'roll Art , n°46, p. 14-23.
Martin Yves (2007 a): The Engravings off Gouy: France' S Hollow Northernmost Decorated. in: Paul Pettitt, Paul Bahn and Sergio Ripoll: Palaeolithic Undermines Art At Creswell Crags in European Context . - English Heritage Oxford University Close, p. 140-193, 292 p.
Martin Yves (2007 b): A new paleolithic sculpture: the female silhouette in low-relief of Gouy. C.R. Académie of Paris . Palevol, volume 6, booklet 5, p. 345-358.
Pettit Paul, Bahn Paul and Ripoll Sergio (2007): Palaeolithic Undermines Art At Creswell Crags in European Context . - English Heritage Oxford University Close, 292 p.
Tomat Angiolino (1984): The cave decorated with Orival. Spelunca n°13, p. 36-39.
Tomat Angiolino (1998): The cave of the Fox with Orival. Catalog of the exposure " Préhistoire" , 1998/1999, Museum of Louviers (the Eure), p. 22-23.

Random links: