Featured: Explore Scotland (and everywhere else) with our Megalithic Portal iPhone app

Explore Scotland (and everywhere else) with our Megalithic Portal iPhone app

Stonehenge Tea Towels - Worldwide delivery

 Stonehenge Tea Towels - Worldwide delivery

Who's Online

There are currently, 346 guests and 2 members online.

You are a guest. To join in, please register for free by clicking here

Sponsors

<< Our Photo Pages >> La Roque-Saint-Christophe - Ancient Village or Settlement in France in Aquitaine:Dordogne (24)

Submitted by TheCaptain on Thursday, 06 January 2011  Page Views: 19455

Multi-periodSite Name: La Roque-Saint-Christophe
Country: France Département: Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Nearest Town: Sarlat-la-Canéda  Nearest Village: Le Moustier
Latitude: 44.989000N  Longitude: 1.066000E
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
5 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
4 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
4 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
4

Internal Links:
External Links:

I have visited· I would like to visit

PAB would like to visit

Chrus visited on 7th Sep 2020 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 3

Oskmey visited on 28th Aug 2019 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 4 Access: 3

TheCaptain visited on 18th May 2005 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4 In the gigantic cliff face on the opposite side of the river Vézère to the delightful village of Le Moustoir is found this World Heritage Site. It's an entire troglodytic city which was inhabited continuously from 50000 years ago until a few centuries ago. It's massive. Even knowing it is five levels high and having visited it 27 years ago doesn’t stop it being mind blowing. It's really awe inspiring. I guess most of what is seen today dates back to the middle ages with all the rock hewn staircases and houses but even so the basic layout of the cliff face city hasn’t changed in millennia. It even has its own little harbour in the river.

TheCaptain visited on 19th Sep 1978 Hitch Hiking Trip round France in the summer of 1978. Camped for a couple of days at Les Eyzies to visit and wonder at the ancient sites here.

Kuba visited - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4



Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 4.25 Ambience: 4.5 Access: 3.5

La Roque-Saint-Christophe
La Roque-Saint-Christophe submitted by theCaptain : In a gigantic cliff face beside the river Vézère is found this World Heritage Site. It's an entire troglodytic city which was inhabited continuously from 50000 years ago until a few centuries ago. (Vote or comment on this photo)
In the gigantic cliff face on the opposite side of the river Vézère to the delightful village of Le Moustier is found this World Heritage Site. It's an entire troglodytic city which was inhabited continuously from 50000 years ago until just a few centuries ago.

It's massive. Even knowing it is five levels high and having visited it before 27 years ago doesn’t stop it being mind blowing. It's really awe inspiring. I guess most of what is seen today dates back to the middle ages with all the rock hewn staircases and houses, but even so the basic layout of the cliff face city hasn’t changed in millennia.

It even has its own little harbour in the river.
You may be viewing yesterday's version of this page. To see the most up to date information please register for a free account.


La Roque-Saint-Christophe
La Roque-Saint-Christophe submitted by Melanie : Artists 3D impression of the site whilst inhabited. (Vote or comment on this photo)

La Roque-Saint-Christophe
La Roque-Saint-Christophe submitted by theCaptain : In the gigantic cliff face on the opposite side of the river Vézère to the delightful village of Le Moustoir is found this World Heritage Site. It's an entire troglodytic city which was inhabited continuously from 50000 years ago until a few centuries ago. (Vote or comment on this photo)

La Roque-Saint-Christophe
La Roque-Saint-Christophe submitted by greywether : (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

La Roque-Saint-Christophe
La Roque-Saint-Christophe submitted by regina : La Roque-Saint-Christophe (Vote or comment on this photo)

La Roque-Saint-Christophe
La Roque-Saint-Christophe submitted by regina : La Roque-Saint-Christophe

La Roque-Saint-Christophe
La Roque-Saint-Christophe submitted by regina

La Roque-Saint-Christophe
La Roque-Saint-Christophe submitted by regina : Site in Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) France

La Roque-Saint-Christophe
La Roque-Saint-Christophe submitted by regina

La Roque-Saint-Christophe
La Roque-Saint-Christophe submitted by theCaptain : In a gigantic cliff face beside the river Vézère is found this World Heritage Site. It's an entire troglodytic city which was inhabited continuously from 50000 years ago until a few centuries ago.

La Roque-Saint-Christophe
La Roque-Saint-Christophe submitted by theCaptain

La Roque-Saint-Christophe
La Roque-Saint-Christophe submitted by theCaptain

Do not use the above information on other web sites or publications without permission of the contributor.
Click here to see more info for this site

Nearby sites

Click here to view sites on an interactive map of the area

Key: Red: member's photo, Blue: 3rd party photo, Yellow: other image, Green: no photo - please go there and take one, Grey: site destroyed

Download sites to:
KML (Google Earth)
GPX (GPS waypoints)
CSV (Garmin/Navman)
CSV (Excel)

To unlock full downloads you need to sign up as a Contributory Member. Otherwise downloads are limited to 50 sites.


Turn off the page maps and other distractions

Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 774m NW 321° Abri du Moustier* Cave or Rock Shelter
 1.1km WNW 281° Abri de Ruth* Cave or Rock Shelter
 1.6km SSW 210° Grotte de La Forêt Cave or Rock Shelter
 2.9km ENE 67° Abri Reverdit Cave or Rock Shelter
 3.0km ENE 67° Abri Castanet Cave or Rock Shelter
 3.5km SW 229° Village de la Madeleine* Ancient Village or Settlement
 3.6km SW 231° Source de la Madeleine* Holy Well or Sacred Spring
 3.7km SW 231° Abri de la Madeleine* Cave or Rock Shelter
 4.4km NE 49° Belcatre-Hault Cave or Rock Shelter
 5.2km SSE 158° Abri de la Grèze Cave or Rock Shelter
 5.3km S 183° Roc de Cazelle* Ancient Village or Settlement
 5.3km SSW 201° Grotte des Combarelles II* Cave or Rock Shelter
 5.4km SSW 200° Grotte des Combarelles 1* Cave or Rock Shelter
 5.4km SSE 153° Abri du Cap-Blanc* Cave or Rock Shelter
 5.5km WSW 256° Peyrelevade de Fleurac* Burial Chamber or Dolmen
 5.7km SE 145° Abri de Laussel* Cave or Rock Shelter
 5.8km SW 233° Gisement de la Micoque* Cave or Rock Shelter
 5.9km SSE 152° Grotte de Commarque* Cave or Rock Shelter
 6.4km SW 231° Abri de Laugerie-Haute* Cave or Rock Shelter
 6.5km S 179° Grotte de Bernifal* Cave or Rock Shelter
 6.5km WNW 290° Grotte de Rouffignac* Cave or Rock Shelter
 6.7km SSW 206° Font-de-Gaume* Cave or Rock Shelter
 6.9km S 176° Grotte dite Sous le Grand Lac Cave or Rock Shelter
 6.9km NE 41° Musée de Thot Cave or Rock Shelter
 6.9km SW 231° Abri de Laugerie-Basse* Cave or Rock Shelter
View more nearby sites and additional images

<< Puca Pucara

Qaret Qasr es Salim Tombs >>

Please add your thoughts on this site

Earthen Long Barrows, Field

Earthen Long Barrows, Field

Sponsors

Auto-Translation (Google)

Translate from English into:

"La Roque-Saint-Christophe" | Login/Create an Account | 2 News and Comments
  
Go back to top of page    Comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content.
Re: La Roque-Saint-Christophe by coldrum on Tuesday, 07 July 2009
(User Info | Send a Message)
Website:

http://www.roque-st-christophe.com/
[ Reply to This ]

Re: La Roque-Saint-Christophe by Anonymous on Sunday, 08 May 2005
I would like to recommend a fascinating site “La Roche St Christophe”

The area can easily be reached by plane from Standsted, with Ryanair , the flight I took cost £5 each way, and these sort of prices can often be found if you are prepared to book a few weeks or months in advance.

La Roche St Christophe is in the heart of the area rich in prehistoric remains including some rather magnificent caves rich in cave art of many kinds. It is located between Lascaux and Font de Gaume near to the modern town of Les Eyzies.

La Roche St Christophe was first occupied in the Palaeolithic , that is the Old Stone Age some 28,000 years ago. Flints and other tools type dated to this period have been found in much of the complex. Fragments of colouring material were also found , but little remains of any artwork, if there ever was any except for a single bone carving.

La Roche St Christophe was unoccupied for the Middle Stone age, or Mesolithic, as the climate change swept the globe following the end of last ice age. But man returned in the New Stone Age or Neolithic, during this period mankind had started to turn towards farming rather than hunting and evidence can be seen of stones for grinding grain as well as hunting, fishing and other tools. The first pieces of pottery found also date from this period. Metals came into use shortly after this and during the Bronze age the site was possibly at its most occupied. Few metal artifacts remain, but the typology of the pottery and the occasional lost bronze item indicates the time period and occupation. It is clear from the remains that the population was very actively trading with other European groups as both ideas and material artifacts can been seen to have been exchanged.

There was a lessening of occupation in the Iron age and only a few traces of occupation during the Merovinngian ( roughly around Anglo Saxon times in England ) can be seen. This may not indicate that the population was small, but may be due to the clearing of the remains of that period in the later medieval period when areas continued to be used.

In the medieval period La Roche St Christophe offers historic as well as archaeological evidence.

As the Normans ravaged the area in the 9th and 10th centuries, the King of France appointed a Bishop Frotaire to recommend a defence system for the area. One of the strongholds he initiated was at La Roche St Christophe. This alone with 5 other forts and castles formed an interconnected defence for the area.

The entrance to La Roche St Christophe is up a single files width track in the rock face. Part of this track was cut away before the entrance and it would seem that in the past as now a wooden bridge was placed over this, this bridge could be felled at times of attack.

After the bridge is a small gatehouse with a platform for a guard. Above the gatehouse is a opening where an archery could assault the enemy in this area excavations have also shown evidence of grease filled pots perhaps as defence against any invader.

On the first level it is possible to see the remains of the livestock enclosure cut into the rock and useful for times of siege. The enclosure has tether rings cut into the wall. In this town it is incredible to see how the inhabitants have shaped the rock for their own purposes.

Further on in a sensible sequence is the slaughterhouse. This has sinks and drainage channels cut into the rock face as well as a single tether ring. Only slightly further on you reach what would seem to be the smoke house. In this instance there are rings cut into the ceiling to hang meat and a hearth with a small airhole is situated to the left. All these rooms would have been enclosed by wattle and daub walls to the outer face and evidence of this can be seen in the square cut holes made for supporting wooden pillars.

Travelling up some steps you reach the first terrace which would have had severa

Read the rest of this post...
[ Reply to This ]

Your Name: Anonymous [ Register Now ]
Subject:


Add your comment or contribution to this page. Spam or offensive posts are deleted immediately, don't even bother

<<< What is five plus one as a number? (Please type the answer to this question in the little box on the left)
You can also embed videos and other things. For Youtube please copy and paste the 'embed code'.
For Google Street View please include Street View in the text.
Create a web link like this: <a href="https://www.megalithic.co.uk">This is a link</a>  

Allowed HTML is:
<p> <b> <i> <a> <img> <em> <br> <strong> <blockquote> <tt> <li> <ol> <ul> <object> <param> <embed> <iframe>

We would like to know more about this location. Please feel free to add a brief description and any relevant information in your own language.
Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.