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Saint-Raphaël: EpiPaleolithic painted hand
The Musée
Archéologique de St. Raphaël contains unique displays on local
Paleolithic occupations in the Estérel Massif, with sites dating from
600,000 to 10,000 years ago (BP). From the earliest period, stone tools of
rhyolite, a metamorphosed volcanic lava, have been recovered at Roussivau.
From the Upper Paleolithic, Périgordian flint artifacts dating
from about 25,000 BP are displayed along with faunal remains from excavations
at Gratadis. One of the most striking exhibits is a red hand silhouette painted
on a stone slab, dating from the EpiPaleolithic period (ca.10,000-8000 BP).
The hand is similar to others known from Upper Paleolithic cave sites in
the Mediterranean region. Given its great age, the painting appears remarkably
fresh.
[Fig.1: Painted hand from EpiPaleolithic (Musée
Archéologique de St. Raphaël; photo: Athena Review).]
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