Vallée des merveilles

The Vallée des Merveilles ( German: Valley of Wonders ) is a high mountain valley within the Parc National du Mercantour in the French Maritime Alps.

The area west of the Roya to the 2,872 m high Mont Bégo around, is characterized by the activity of the ice. It is an isolated and shaped by the harsh mountain climate with high mountain valleys, peaks and lakes, largely devoid of vegetation. Only in the short summer blooms a herbal carpet.

Rock engravings

The valley of the miracle became known through his 40,000 rock engravings in the vicinity of Mont Bégo, the second largest prehistoric engravings reference in the Alps (after Valcamonica ). These were Fontanalbe, discovered most concentrated in the Vallée des Merveilles, but also in the Vallaurette Valley and the Col de Sabion. The drawings were carved into smoothed by the last ice age surfaces of the rocks.

There are two types of engraving:

• The linear carvings dating back to the Gallo - Roman period and extend to the present day.
• Much more interesting however, are the images from the early Bronze Age, 1800-1500 BC In quartzite and flint tools wells were 1-5 mm in diameter closely spaced carved into the surface.

The Mont Bégo presented for the native to the valleys of the Ligurian tribes a kind of deity represents anger and goodness in the form of water and storms. The worship of the mountain was connected as well as in many other places with the bull cult. Half of the drawings, cattle horns and symbols dar. Sample farm implements such as plows or harrows and preloaded draft animals suggest that at that time agriculture was operated.

Research

The first written mention was made of the rock carvings in the 17th century. Systematic research began about 1885 with the work of the British scientist Clarence Bicknell. Between 1927 and 1942 mapped and cataloged Carlo Conti of the Archaeological Service of the Piedmont (the region belonged until 1947 to Italy) the petroglyphs. Since 1967, especially the team of paleoanthropologists explored Professor Henry de Lumley, is scientific director of the Musée des Merveilles in Tende, the finds.

Access

Access from the east is done for motorists from St. Dalmas de Tende on the D91 direction Casterino, Vallée de la Minière, from the Lac des Mesches on foot or by guided excursions by jeep. Hikers reach the Vallée des Merveilles either via the remote trails GR 52 and Via Alpina or one of the many local trails. Also known as " Train des Merveilles " propelled Tendabahn provides for the hiker also a suitable access to the valley.

Musée des Merveilles

The Musée des Merveilles in Tende houses archaeological, ethnological and natural history exhibits. It is recommended that before a trip to Mont Bégo and the Vallée des Merveilles to inform themselves in this museum.