Grotte d'Azé

Useful Information

Image: The upper entrance.

Location:	At Azé village. From north Motorway Lyon-Marseille, exit Tournus, through Ozenay, Chardonnay, Lugny, S. Gengoux to Azé, signposted. From south Motorway Lyon-Marseille, exit Macon Nord, through Verchizeuil and Ige to Azé.
Open:	APR to SEP daily 10.12, 14-19. [2006]
Fee:
Classification:	Karst cave.
Light:	electric.
Dimension:	L=1,500m, D=75-90m.
Guided tours:	L=1,000m.
Bibliography:
Address:	Grottes préhistoriques d'Azé, 71260 Azé, Tel: +33-385333223, Fax: +33-385334315
Last update:	$Date: 2010/05/19 23:23:05 $

History

Description

Image: A map of the cave. This horizontal projection is placed at the wall of the cave restaurant.

Image: The river (lower) level of the cave.

The Cave of Azé has four Levels.

1. The top level is the fossile part of the cave and was accessible for many thousands of years.
2. The second level and third level are two levels wich are very close together. They were not accessible, so no remains of animals or man are found here.
3. The third level has a river in several parts.
4. The bottom level of the cave is flooded. It can be explored only by cave divers!

The entrance to the cave is known for a very long time. Since it was opened by erosion, animals lived here. So the remains of many species, including  cave bear, were found here. Later the hunters of the Ice Age lived here and left tools and drawings.

But the usage of the cave by man continued, for example during Roman times, which is proven by the remains of a roman wall. It was built between 275 and 300, when this cave entrance was used as a storage room. At this time the cave floor was filled with several meters of cave sediment, containing debris, clay, animal bones and human remains. This floor was excavated during the 19th century, and many finds are now on display in the small museum at the cave entrance. But because of the excavations the floor is now much lower and the Roman wall, once built on the floor now hangs below the ceiling. It had to be fixed with iron bar to prevent a collapse.

The bones of  cave bears were also found during the excavation. One skeletton is on display in a corner of the big hall.

During a more recent excavation between 1982 and 1985 about 200m inside the cave in an area of 16m² more than 1000 cave bear bones belonging to at least 44 indiviuals were found. Also the skull of a cave lion (Pantera spelaeus) and bones of Vulpus vulpus were discovered. The bones were dated to be of late Pleistocene age by the analyzation of their forms. This was completed by a very recent dating of speleothems. There were no speleothems in the area of the excavation, but a nice formation in some distance was dated and it was possible to correlate it with the different layers of the excavation.

After the visit to the upper level, the tour leaves the cave and proceeds to a small door at the slope below. Here the second level of the cave is entered, showing wild river passages and dolly tubs Most of the time, the visitors follow the water in the third level. The paths ar built right above the water level and get flooded in spring.

The end of the cave visit is again outside. After leaving the cave from the third level, its only a few steps to a romantic resurgence. This is were the cave river reappears and it is also the access to the lowest level of the cave. Of course it is only suitable for cave divers.

Azé Gallery

See also

• The Cave Bear
• Bears' Caves

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