The oldest shell jewellery workshop in Western Europe

The first shell jewellery workshop in Western Europe was discovered in Saint-Césaire (Charente-Maritime) by scientists primarily from the CNRS, l’université de Bordeaux, the ministère de la Culture and l’Université Toulouse 2 Jean Jaurès.Accompanied by pigments and dating back at least 42,000 years, these shells have been linked to the Châtelperronian culture, in which bone and animal tooth jewellery had previously been the main artefacts documented. This discovery suggests that the arrival of Homo sapiens in Europe during this period contributed to the origin and diversity of this culture.The oldest workshop for making shell jewellery has been unearthed at the Palaeolithic site of La Roche-à-Pierrot in Saint-Césaire, Charente-Maritime. Dating back at least 42,000 years and accompanied by red and yellow pigments, this unique assemblage in Western Europe has been linked to the Châtelperronian culture, which marks the transition between the last Neanderthals and the arrival of Homo sapiens in Europe. The study, conducted primarily by scientists from the CNRS, the l’université de Bordeaux, the ministère de la Culture and l’Université Toulouse 2 Jean Jaurès, is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This major discovery allows us to discuss the mobility of prehistoric populations and possible contact between different human groups during this significant period of prehistory.