Le Moustier | |
 Le Moustier 1 in 1909, beforeWWII bombing. | |
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| Location | Peyzac-le-Moustier |
|---|---|
| Region | Dordogne,France |
| Coordinates | 44°59′38″N1°3′36″E / 44.99389°N 1.06000°E /44.99389; 1.06000 |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1863 |
| Archaeologists | Henry Christy,Édouard Lartet. |
 Interactive map of Le Moustier | |
| Part of | Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley |
| Criteria | Cultural: (i), (iii) |
| Reference | 85-014 |
| Inscription | 1979 (3rdSession) |
| Area | 0.227 ha (24,400 sq ft) |
Le Moustier is anarcheological site consisting of tworock shelters inPeyzac-le-Moustier, a village in theDordogne,France. It is known for a complete skeleton of the speciesHomo neanderthalensis that was discovered in 1908. TheMousterian tool culture is named after Le Moustier, which was first excavated from 1863 by the EnglishmanHenry Christy and the FrenchmanÉdouard Lartet. In 1979, Le Moustier was inscribed on theUNESCOWorld Heritage List along with other nearby archeological sites as part of thePrehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley.[1]
The skeleton known as "Le Moustier" is estimated to be approximately 45,000 years old.[2] The characteristics of its skull include a large nasal cavity and a somewhat less developedbrow ridge andoccipital bun, as might be expected in a juvenile.
After discovery, the skull was dismantled, cast and reconstructed at least four times. During this process, the skull received considerable amounts of damage; for example, after it was sold to theEthnological Museum of Berlin, a dentist broke the alveolar bone to access the teeth. It was later damaged in the Allied bombing ofBerlin during theSecond World War, then looted by theUSSR, which returned the remains of the skull to theGerman Democratic Republic in 1958.[3] The skull is now missing many parts, the teeth glued into the wrong position, and it has been dipped into glue, covered with varnish, and painted with plaster. Consequently, its scientific value is much reduced.[4]
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![Le Moustier 1 Neanderthal facial reconstitution, Neues Museum Berlin[5]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aLe_Moustier_skull_in_Berlin_reconstitution.jpg)
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Study of the artifacts found in Le Moustier reveals the use ofglue made from a mixture ofocher andbitumen by Middle Paleolithic humans to make hand grips for cutting and scraping stone tools.[6] Experiments by archaeologists showed that the mass was sufficiently sticky so that a small stone tool could get stuck in it and the mass could serve as a handle, but the hands remained clean. This presupposes knowledge of both material characteristics and that a combination of these substances results in a new material. In addition, both components, bitumen and ochre, had to be gathered from different deposits far away from each other. This required planning and foresight in order to optimise the flint blades accordingly.
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