Cro-Magnon Rock Shelter

The Cro-Magnon rock shelter is a landmark Upper Paleolithic site in Les Eyzies, Dordogne, southwestern France. Discovered in March 1868 during railway construction, Louis Lartet excavated over 120 human bones representing at least four adults and several infants, with radiocarbon dating placing the burial in the Early Gravettian period, approximately 32,000-31,000 years ago. This was the first discovery of anatomically modern Homo sapiens from the Prehistoric period, marking a milestone in understanding human evolution. The site is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vezere Valley.