Grotte de la Verpillière I (VP I)

Old excavations and the overburden

The cave was discovered in 1868 due to a street being constructed nearby, in the valley of the Orbize. In the same year, the first excavation in the cave was conducted by Charles Méray (Méray 1876, Chabas 1876, Méray 1869). Over the course of the 20th century, further excavations and prospections took place in and surrounding the cave.

The finds recovered in these excavations were spectacular, which is why there were used for reference (along with Solutré, Aurignac etc.) defining the Aurignacien (Breuil 1911). In the 1970s, all bifacal elements recovered were analysed once more and the findings were published (Desbrosse et al. 1976, Texier 1973). All remaining finds and features were thouroughly examined in a Magister thesis (Dutkiewicz 2011). The archaeological materials from these old excavations in the last 150 years account for the following typo-technological complexes (older to younger):Micoquien, Moustérien de tradition acheuléen (MTA), Châtelperronien, Aurignacien ancien, Aurignacien moyen-récent, Gravettien and Solutréen. Additionally to these analyses, numerous trenches from the old excavations have been recognized and documented.

Further typo-technological elements of the complexes named above have also been recovered in the overburden recently. From the distribution of the objects from the different complexes, different zones could be reconstructed. For example, the Gravettien finds were most frequently found in the entrance area of the cave. In close proximity, typologically unambiguous bone materials from a late Aurignacien or an early Gravettien were dated using AMS-C-14 dating. 

Additionally to the materials recovered from the overburden which included diagnostic elements, evidence for a very early Aurignacien (Protoaurignacien) as it is known from the Grotte du Renne in Arcy-sur-Cure, Yonne or the Trou de la Mère Clochette, Jura, was found. 

Lithic elements that suggest a Middle Palaeolithic occupation from the old excavations as well as the overburden, were also analysed in a Magister thesis (Frick 2010). These analyses of the materials from old as well as new excavations (2006 to 2008) argue for a seperation of the inventory into at least two units: Micoquien and MTA. Further units may be classified as Moustérien à denticules and Moustérien type Ferrassie. 

During the new excavations, again and again, ornamental objects were found. Since the number of these objects rose immensly, they were also discussed in a Bachelor's thesis (Klett 2012). 

Excavating intacts horizons

Up until the investigations conducted by Prof. Floss, the site was considered cleared out. The assumption was, that all horizons had been excavated. Newer excavations changed and disproved this assumption. 

During the second campaign in 2007, intact layers were discovered in the entrance area of the cave. Mikromorphological examinations concluded that these materials were moved by small landslides (Wißing 2012). Most likely, the materials were not originally from the cave, but from a higher plateau outside of the cave. So far, these materials have not been analysed in their entirety; numerous bladelets were documented during sorting, suggesting the Upper Palaeolithic. 

In 2009, one of J. Combiers trenches from 1959 was discovered inside of the cave. At the edge of this trench, a stratigraphical profile was documented. The objects belonging to this trench were the subject of a Bachelor's thesis (Bader 2011). These objects included evidence for a Middle Palaeolithic, possible Châtelperronien, Aurignacien and a general Upper Palaeolithic. During the most recent campaigns (2010-2012), further intact areas in the cave interior were discovered (ca. 20 qm) which are being excavated. So far, two Middle Palaeolithic horizons were discovered, as well as multiple Upper Palaeolithic layers (possibly Châtelperronien, Aurignacien and Gravettien). Connecting the different areas seems more likely with every campaign. There is also remarkable progress in understanding the formation and the filling of the cave. Micromorphological and sedimentological investigations are being conducted, as well as dating. 

At the current state of analyses, a complete stratigraphy from the Late Middle Palaeolithic to the Middle Upper Palaeolithic is documented. Due to this, this site has the potential to answer questions regarding the replacement of Neaderthals by anatomically modern humans (AMHs) in Europe. Perhaps, this site, having been excavated with modern methods, could (should) be used as a reference for the cultural sequences between 50 and 30 ka BP, especially considering the controversial findings of the Grotte du Renne in Arcy-sur-Cure in Burgundy.