Aurignac

Aurignac stands proudly on its rocky promontory, dominated by a keep which recalls its rebellious past, with attractive ochre-coloured houses, typical of Haute-Garonne. Walk through its narrow, winding streets to discover a multitude of reminders of bygone days : the Count’s castle with splendid open views of the Pyrenees (orientation table), 13th century ramparts and medieval houses (Porte de l’Horloge gateway, church of St Pierre aux Liens and its listed porch), towers and mansions dating from the Renaissance. It was the discovery of a cave containing prehistoric tools which made the village world-famous.

Go to the Musée-Forum de l’Aurignacien to learn about the Aurignacians, the first early modern humans to live in Europe between 38,000 and 28,000 years ago, their customs and survival skills. Our distant ancestors sculpted, carved, wore decorative jewellery, traded and even travelled. Prehistorians were able to define the Aurignacian period from palaeontological discoveries made by the scientist Édouard Lartet (1801-1871) from 1860 onwards. Preserved for posterity, the name of the village of Aurignac is used to refer to the prehistoric period of the Upper Palaeolithic or Late Stone age.





A fabulous museum dedicated to Palaeolithic Man

The museum is in the lower part of the village and contains more than 300 objects (weapons, tools, statuettes, bones of extinct animals, etc.) alluding in an attractive way to the culture and life of the men of this long ago epoch.  On leaving the building, a 1km sign-posted footpath leads to the original Aurignac cave which allowed us to learn much more about the life of Late Stone Age man.

The museum displays are centred round archaeological evidence of the life of Aurignacian man discovered during excavations at Aurignac and other emblematic prehistoric sites.  These are backed up with films, illustrations, temporary exhibitions and activities for visitors of all ages.

The museum is accessible and suitable for everyone and is also a centre for debates and encounters on the huge question of the origins of Man in the light of the latest scientific discoveries.

Guided tours are available.

« Off we went to Aurignac, 80km from Toulouse. We decided to have a picnic by the museum to make the most of the fine spring weather. The children were very excited at the idea of discovering how prehistoric people lived ! When we got to the museum, the people at Reception told us about the different things to see. The children were mesmerized by the size of the bones from huge mammals. There are also remains of tools, bows and arrows, we could really imagine how these early people lived. Later, after visiting the museum, we walked along the path to the prehistoric cave found in 1852 and excavated in 1860 by the famous palaeontologist Edouard Lartet. The little path through the woods gave the children the chance to run around before we got to the cave, where once again they were filled with amazement as they imagined themselves living, hunting and fishing just like the Aurignacians ! »"