Excavations at Roc de Marsal

The current project follows the previous excavation at the site by a local amateur in the mid-1900s.

Our goals are to get more information that will allow us to understand better the context of the Neanderthal infant who was presumably buried there and to investigate the hearths and their contents. Compared to other Neanderthal sites, Roc de Marsal is unusual in having discrete fire features; analysis of these will help us better interpret Neanderthal cultural behavior.

Photo caption: Excavations in the cave at Roc de Marsal

Where
Western Europe

When

80,000–40,000 BP

Researchers
Dr. Harold Dibble, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Shannon McPherron, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
Dr. Alain Turq, Musée Nationale de Préhistoire
Dr. Dennis Sandgathe, Simon Frasier University

Additional Sponsors
University of Pennsylvania