ARCHAEOLOGY IN PROVENCE

The slums of old Marseille were destroyed by the Nazis in 1942. This  act led to an appreciation of past civilisations, to post-war archaeological research and to the preservation of national historic records. Ancient caves and grottos in Provence revealed some of the oldest skeletal remains in Europe.

We look at the prehistory of Provence and of Celts and Ligures in Entremont. Celtic beliefs and traditions are illustrated with gruesome cults and practices, of severed heads and mouthless stelae. This area was razed to the ground by the Romans. It is now the beautiful city of Aix-en-Provence.

Aix-en-Provence today offers tourists much to see. The University of Aix-en-Provence was founded in the 15^th century, beautiful baroque buildings and churches from the days of Good King Rene, to the typical Calisson candy and Cezanne’s house.

We film the mysterious bories and prehistoric underwater cave paintings. Discovered in the Provençal calanques near Marseille by Henri Cosquer, the underwater Cosquer Cave is accessed only through a tunnel, 180 metres long, -  deep under sea level. It contains several dozen works, painted and engraved 27,000 years ago.  

 

 

 

CHAPTERS:

• Destruction of old Marseille in World War II leads to archaeological excavations
• Grotto of Valonet and the Tautavel man
• Grotto of Arago and the cave of Lazaret
• Terra Amata, the grottos of Colombier and Grimaldi and the Woman of Menton
• Celts and Ligures and their capital, the oppidum of Entremont
• Celtic cults of severed heads and mouthless stelae
• Entremont becomes Aix-en-Provence
• King Renė in Aix-en-Provence
• The calissons and Cezanne are both products of Aix-en-Provence
• Mount St Victoire, the Teutons and the town of Glanum
• The mysterious bories
• The calanques reveal underwater prehistoric art