Le Val bronze age decorated shelter
General presentation
| The press at the
end of the 70s reported on the "rediscovery" of the site,
draining visit by persons whose first interest seems to have been to leave
their signature on a wall decorated during the Bronze Age; so showing that
their level of culture was rather more primitive than that of the artists
working here 4000 years ago.
Scientific articles had nevertheless been published earlier by different Provencal scholars. |
|
|
|
|
| The shelter is
situated in side of hill, giving the full South, dominating the valley of
Ribeirotte river; it has a clear sight on hills surrounding Brignoles, in
particular on mountain of The Loube.
It distinguishes itself in it of the other one decorated shelters found in the region, particularly in the valley of Caramy, which are situated in caves far from the daylight. Is it for it that we do not find here representation of the goddess mother? |
Gallery of photos of the landscape
|
| The shelter is constituted by a rocky overhang with regard to the hill. This overhang doubtless contributed to the conservation of the paintings by protecting them from bad weather. |
The shelter
|
| The paintings were drawn on a surface of the order of 7m of wide on 3m of height; only a partof this surface is still visible today: the one who was the best protected from the bad weather by the overhang of the shelter. |
General overview of the paintings
|
| Several hundreds
of subjects, symbols were drawn on the wall.
Forms remind strangely the signs which we find in the Valley of the "Merveilles" in the park of Mercantour, even in the Valley Camonica in Italy of the North. Both are sites of the age of the Bronze. The gallery of photos presents a dozen these signs.
|
gallery of photos.
|
| The
interpretation of the purpose of the shelter remains difficult, it can be
made only in connection with the other vestiges of the same type spread in
the region and dating the same time. An extract of a report realized in
1980 give one of the possible interpretations in relations with the other
sites of rupestral paintings found in the department of "Var".
|
The stone as the support of a thought.
|
| Linear carvings
were discovered near the painted shelter.
We present a study in the page attained by clicking the right icon.
|
Linear Carvings
|
%20of%20l7-24.JPG)
| A series of
painted caves of the same age near Tourves.
|
Caramy Valley
|
| In the Caramy
river valey near Tourves, a very interesting cave: Cave Chuchy:
|
Chuchy caves
|
| A little bit
more far away, the Ollioules Locations near Toulon, with artifacts from
the Bornze Age.
|
Ollioules
|
| A very famous
location of Bronze age art, the Valley of Miracles: Vallée des Merveilles,
near Nice.
|
Miracles Valley
|
