The Mas-d'Azil cave: a prehistoric sanctuary with the 15,000-year-old 'Magda'

The Grotte du Mas-d'Azil, located in the French commune of Mas-d'Azil in the Ariège department, has been occupied by multiple prehistoric groups. The site contains the Faon aux oiseaux, a spear thrower from the Middle Magdalenian era, and the Coco des roseaux, a hunting scene engraved on a fragment of an animal shoulder blade. It also houses the skull of a young girl, 'Magda', which is 15,000 years old and features two carved bone plates simulating eyes in the orbits.

The cave walls contain several decorated galleries, such as the Breuil and Reindeer galleries, featuring representations of bison, fish, horse hindquarters, and ibex heads. In 1992, a total of nine human representations were recorded in the cave. The site gave its name to the Azilian, a prehistoric culture of the Epipaleolithic between the Magdalenian and Mesolithic periods, characterized by a microlithic industry and painted pebbles with red ochre dating back 10,000 years.

During the Neolithic period, many dolmens were erected in and around the village, and pottery including pieces from the Gauls was found in the cave. Research on the site began with geologist Jean-Jacques Pouech in the 1840s and continued with work by Félix Garrigou, Félix Régnault, and Édouard Piette. Modern research has uncovered dwellings from 35,000 years BP from the Aurignacian period. The cave also provided shelter to persecuted Christians in the early centuries of the Common Era, and later served as a refuge for the Cathars in the 13th century and the Protestants in the 17th century.

The cave was requisitioned during World War II by the Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du Midi, which planned to establish a factory for aircraft parts inside. While the factory project was abandoned, the cave served to stock and repair planes. Today, the cave is a historical monument where parts of the prehistoric habitat can be visited by the public, and it hosts a round of the European Championship of Prehistoric Weapons.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons