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 cross section with entrance tunnel and current sea level | |
  Location in France Show map of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Cosquer Cave (France) Show map of France | |
| Location | Calanque de Morgiou inMarseille |
|---|---|
| Region | Midi,France |
| Coordinates | 43°12′10″N5°26′57″E / 43.20278°N 5.44917°E /43.20278; 5.44917 |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1991 |
| Archaeologists | Henri Cosquer |
Cosquer Cave ([kɔskɛʁ],also[kɔske]) is located in theCalanque de Morgiou inMarseille, France, near Cap Morgiou. The entrance to the cave is located 37 m (121 ft) underwater, due to theHolocene sea level rise. The cave contains various prehistoricrock art engravings. Its submarine entrance was discovered in 1985 by Henri Cosquer, a professional diver. The underwater passage leading to the cave was progressively explored until 1990 bycave divers without the divers being aware of thearchaeological character of the cave.
It is only in the last period (1990–1991) of the progressive underwater explorations that the cave divers emerged in the non-submerged part of the cave. The prehistoric paintings were not immediately discovered by the divers to first emerge from the other side of the sump. The cave was named after Henri Cosquer, when its existence was made public in 1991, after three divers became lost in the cave and died.[1]
The cave can now be accessed by divers through a 175 m (574 ft) long tunnel; the entrance is located 37 m (121 ft) below sea level, which has risen since the cave was inhabited. During the glacial periods of thePleistocene, the shore of theMediterranean was several kilometers to the south and the sea level up to 100 m (330 ft) below the entrance of the cave.[2][3]
Henri Cosquer, aprofessional diver fromCassis, discovered the submerged entrance to a cave in 1985, guided by a tip from a fellow diver.[4] That year, he began exploring the underwater passage alone and later with a friend anddiving instructor from his club. The passage narrowed and turned sharply before leading to an underground lake. On one solo dive, a malfunctioning lamp forced Cosquer to retreat, leaving him shaken.
In June 1990, Cosquer enlisted Belgiancave divers Bernard and Marc Van Espen, who located the entrance 37 meters below the Pointe de la Voile near Cap Morgiou. They followed the gallery carefully to avoid disturbingsilt and reached the underground lake Cosquer had seen, but their guide line ran out, forcing them to turn back. At this point, the dry section of the cave remained unexplored.
In June 1991, Marc Van Espen returned and, on June 24, installed the final section of theguide line during a dive with Cosquer. Their exploration lasted only 30 minutes, providing a brief view of the first chamber beyond the submerged passage.[5][6][7]
On July 9, 1991, Cosquer explored the cave further with his niece, Cendrine Cosquer, anddiving club members Yann Gogan and Pascale Oriol.[5] They examined the dry section in more detail and discovered what appeared to be a handprint on the wall, suggesting prehistoric art. This finding spurred several dives in July and August, leading to the discovery of additionalcave paintings and the production of photographs and films with the help of Thierry Pelissier and Gilles Sourice.[8][9][10]
Tragedy struck on September 1, 1991, when three divers fromGrenoble became lost in the access gallery and perished. Cosquer and Gogan helped recover their bodies.[11] Two days later, on 3 September 1991, Cosquer declared the cave to the Maritime Affairs Department inMarseille.[12]
The discovery was referred to the Regional Archaeological Service under theMinistry of Culture.[13][12] From September 18–20, 1991, an expedition led byprehistorian Jean Courtin and cave art specialist Jean Clottes took place aboard the DRASM vessel Archéonaute. Initial skepticism about the authenticity of the artwork arose but was later addressed.[13]
In June 1992, another mission resulted in the production of a film, The Secret of Cosquer Cave.[14] Between 2001 and 2005, and again from 2010 to 2015, a series of archaeological research operations led by Luc Vanrell, with contributions from Michel Olive, further studied the cave.
A legal dispute emerged between Cosquer and the Ministry of Culture regarding compensation under a 2001 law on preventive archaeology. This law entitles discoverers to financial rewards based on the site's archaeological value. Cosquer sought a reward and a share of profits from book sales featuring cave photographs.[15] Henri Cosquer also claimed a reward and the recovery of part of the proceeds from the sale of books of photographs of the cave.[16]
Four-fifths of the cave were permanently or periodically submerged by sea water destroying any cave wall art in those locations. Nearly 500 instances of cave art remain[17] which date back to two distinct periods during theUpper Paleolithic.[18] The first phase, from around 27,000 yearsBP (theGravettian Era), is represented by art consisting of 65hand stencils, 44 in black and 21 in red. Art from the more recent period dates to 19,000 years BP (theSolutrean Era) and features much more complex depictions of various animals and human figures. In total there are 177 animals drawings found in the cave; these include 63horses, 28ibex, 17deer, 10bison, and 7aurochs. There is also the more unusual depiction of 16 marine animals including 9seals and 3great auks as well as somejellyfish and various figures which could be eitherfish orcetaceans. Of the human figures there are numerous sexual symbols but also one example of "the killed man" motif which can be seen in other caves such as atLascaux.[17][19][20]
Pascale Oriol, Yann Gogan, Cendrine Cosquer et Marc Van Espen se sont retrouvés à Marseille, plus de trente ans après la découverte de la grotte Cosquer. [Pascale Oriol, Yann Gogan, Cendrine Cosquer and Marc Van Espen met in Marseille, more than thirty years after the discovery of Cosquer Cave.]
...[E]lle comprend plus de 400 œuvres d'art pariétal exceptionnelles, dont 216 signes, des représentations uniques d'animaux marins tels que les pingouins, les phoques, les méduses, mais aussi de nombreux chevaux, bisons et aurochs. Les parois sont également recouvertes de représentations humaines rares dont « l'homme tué » et des symboles sexuels, des tracés digitaux sur des portions entières de voûtes, réalisations picturales avec des outils, en tout près de 500 représentations peintes et gravées par la main de l'homme.
As the replica of the Cosquer cave opens its doors to the public in Marseille (southeastern France), Cyril Montoya, the cave's scientific director, tells us about this marvel of prehistory, which is endangered by rising sea levels, and details the many mysteries that a major research campaign will attempt to solve.
Pascale Oriol, Yann Gogan, Cendrine Cosquer et Marc Van Espen se sont retrouvés à Marseille, plus de trente ans après la découverte de la grotte Cosquer. [Pascale Oriol, Yann Gogan, Cendrine Cosquer and Marc Van Espen met in Marseille, more than thirty years after the discovery of Cosquer Cave.]
Trente-et-un ans après la découverte de la grotte à laquelle ils ont pris part, ceux dont l'histoire a effacé les noms se sont enfin retrouvés à Marseille. Rencontre avec Pascale Oriol, Marc Van Espen, Cendrine Cosquer et Yann Gogan [Thirty-one years after the discovery of the cave in which they took part, those whose names history has erased have finally found themselves in Marseille. Meeting with Pascale Oriol, Marc Van Espen, Cendrine Cosquer and Yann Gogan]
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