PREHISTORIC CASTLE-MUSEUM
Castle-museum with the oldest collective burial of the South and offerings, traces the history of the first farmers
It all began in 1983 with the discovery of a sepulchral chamber at the bottom of the Belesta Caune. The excavations brought to light a real archaeological treasure unique in Europe: a Neolithic collective tomb with more than 30 skeletons and 28 potteries in an excellent state of conservation. But that's not all: the research concentrated on the whole cave will reveal the remains of several human occupations accumulated over a thickness of 8 m. The castle museum, opened in 1992, sheds a captivating light on this period of recent prehistory, known as the Neolithic period, i.e. around 4,000 years before our era. "This is a crucial period in history, a real revolution, because man has gone from being a predator to a producer," comments the museum curator. The Bélesta castle-museum is part of a genuine royal castle of the 13th century, which has been restored with care and originality. A veritable machine for going back in time, the place houses, in addition to a state-of-the-art scenography that will delight young and old alike, life-size reconstructions such as those of an excavation square, of the daily life of our ancestors in the Neolithic period and icing on the cake, the cave's sepulchral room. Impressive and bluffing! This museum is not only educational and playful. It is also a scientific reference. Indeed the diffusion of the Neolithic culture is ensured thanks to the close collaboration of the museum with the departmental archaeological repository.
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