The rockshelter is open on the south side, on the right bank of the river
Anglin, at the base of the Douce cliffs. It is composed of two distinct geological parts: • The lower Bourdois rockshelter which is a classic rockshelter with a low roof; • The upper Taillebourg vault (previously Lucien Jacob vault), deeper and which is a typical vestibule type. These two parts are actually separated by a non-excavated area, which is being conserved as an archeological reserve. The site is classed as an Historical Monument since the 18th of January 1955. The names of the ancient owners of the parcels, Madame Bourdois and Monsieur Taillebourg, were conserved by Suzanne de Saint-Mathurin as names of the dug sectors. These names are still used. == Excavation history == The history of discoveries at Roc-aux-Sorciers begins in 1927, when Lucien Rousseau discovered the Paleolithic habitation and identified it as mid-Magdalenian in its culture. He began excavations in the Cave Taillebourg and recovered an engraved stone in which
Henri Breuil detected the representation of a
mammoth. Some years later, Suzanne de Saint-Mathurin became aware of Rousseau's article and decided to explore further, hoping to find some incised plaquettes like those from the cave at
Lussac-les-Châteaux, also in Vienne. Assisted by her friend
Dorothy Garrod, she carried out a decade of intensive campaigns between 1947 and 1957, and followed more sporadically until 1964. The team discovered carved blocks with sculpted and incised figures, sometimes painted, of bison, horses, wild goats, felines and the figure of a man. It soon became clear that these fragments had fallen from the roof of the
Cave Taillebourg. Only the carved and painted figure of a bison (
illustration, right above) has remained in place. In all it appears that there were two phases of occupation at Roc-aux-Sorciers, the first from the Middle
Magdelenian around 15,000 years ago which was sealed by the collapse of the rockshelter roof, and a second occupation from the Upper Magdelenianaround 12,000-10,000 years ago. The sculptures appear to be from the first occupation. As well as the wall art, traces of a domestic style occupation suggesting this was not a sanctuary. The sculpted frieze was discovered in 1950. It is composed of bison, horses, wild goats, felines, and the headless and footless figures of women, of the type conventionally called
Venuses. ==The sculpted frieze of the
Abri Bourdois==