Vallée des Merveilles
The Vallée des Merveilles ( German Valley of Miracles ) is a high valley within the Parc national du Mercantour in the French Maritime Alps .
The area west of the Roya , around the 2,872 m high Mont Bégo , is shaped by the activity of the ice. It is an isolated high mountain landscape characterized by the rough mountain climate with valleys, peaks and lakes, largely without vegetation. Only in the short summer does a carpet of herbs bloom.
Rock engravings
The valley of miracles became known for its approx. 40,000 rock engravings in the vicinity of Mont Bégo, the second largest site of prehistoric engravings in the Alpine region (after Valcamonica ). These were most concentrated in the Vallée des Merveilles, but also in the Fontanalbe, Vallaurette and Col de Sabion. The drawings were carved into surfaces of the rocks that had been smoothed out by the last Ice Age.
There are two types of engraving:
- The linear carvings that go back to the Gallo-Roman era and go back to the present day.
- Much more interesting, however, are the images from the early Bronze Age around 1,800 to 1,500 BC. With quartzite and flint tools, depressions 1 to 5 mm in diameter were hewn closely together in the surface.
The Mont Bégo represented a kind of deity for the Ligurian tribes residing in the valleys , anger and goodness in the form of water and storms. As in many other places, the worship of the mountain was associated with the cult of the bull . Half of the drawings show cattle and horn symbols. Depicted farm implements such as plows or harrows and harnessed draft animals suggest that agriculture was practiced at that time.
research
The rock carvings were first mentioned in writing in the 17th century. Systematic exploration began around 1885 with the work of the British naturalist Clarence Bicknell . Between 1927 and 1942, Carlo Conti of the Archaeological Authority of Piedmont (the region belonged to Italy until 1947 ) mapped and cataloged the rock art. Since 1967, the team led by paleoanthropologist Professor Henry de Lumley , who is also the scientific director of the Musée des Merveilles in Tende , has been researching the finds.
Access
Drivers can access from the east from St. Dalmas de Tende via the D91 towards Casterino, Vallée de la Minière, from Lac des Mesches on foot or with guided excursions in an off-road vehicle. Hikers can reach the Vallée des Merveilles either via the long-distance hiking trails GR 52 and Via Alpina or one of the many local hiking trails . The Tendabahn , also known as the “Train des Merveilles”, also offers hikers suitable access to the valley.
Musée des Merveilles
The Musée des Merveilles in Tende houses archaeological, ethnological and natural history exhibits. Before going on a trip to Mont Bégo and the Vallée des Merveilles, you should find out more in this museum.
literature
- Henry de Lumley , Lucien Clergue: Fascinant Mont Bego. Montagne sacrée de l'âge du Cuivre et de l'âge du Bronze ancien . Edisud, Aix-en-Provence 2002, ISBN 2-7449-0346-9 .
- Clarence Bicknell: Guide to Prehistoric Rock Engravings of the Italian Maritime Alps , 1st edition, Bordighera 1902
Web links
- Pictures from the Royatal and Vallée des Merveilles
- Website of the Musée des Merveilles de Tende (French, English and Italian)
- Hiking in the Vallée des Merveilles
Remarks
Coordinates: 44 ° 4 ′ 34 ″ N , 7 ° 26 ′ 18 ″ E