Adventure through time> A history of prehistory

arrow_back_ios List of all circuits
Earth and time
A history of prehistory
The train des Pignes to villages of character
Fortifications of the Alps
The traces of time from the Alps to the plain

Step 1

alt_route Museum of Prehistory of the Gorges du Verdon

€

Archaeologists often apply the stratigraphic method to carry out their excavations. This allows us to understand History by studying the different layers of sediment which are superimposed on each other on the ground. Likewise, geologists study the succession of different geological layers to reconstruct the history of the Earth.

Archaeologists seek, collect, document, analyze and interpret the material traces left over time in the landscape, from prehistory to the present day.

Discover the great periods of prehistory in Provence at the Quinson museum.

Site Museum of Prehistory of the Gorges du Verdon

Learn more

The great periods during prehistory
The Paleolithic, the age of cut stone, began 3 million years ago when the first men appeared and worked stones to make tools. During this period, the men are exclusively hunter-gatherers and travel constantly. This period lasts until about -10 000 BC.

Then comes the Mesolithic, literally "Middle Stone Age", around - 9 Ma During this period of transition, the habits, techniques and lifestyles of men evolve. They practice hunting, fishing and gathering and reduce their seasonal movements.

The Neolithic (from the Greek neos, new and lithos, stone) is also called the age of polished stone. This period, which lasts from about - 6 to - 000 BC, is a period of profound technical and social changes. Human groups no longer travel, domesticate animals, grow grain, polish their stone tools and weapons, and develop pottery and architecture.