Aurignac
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aurignac is a small town (population 1,139) in the Haute-Garonne département of France, on the edge of the Pyrenees. It is the main town of the canton of Aurignac (population 4,160), which is composed of 19 communes.
The town is best known for the 1860 discovery of prehistoric relics in nearby caves, which led to the definition of the Aurignacian culture. Aurignac is the type site for this important phase in human prehistory. Evidence of Cro-Magnon man has been found in Africa as far back as 160,000 years ago. When they came to Europe, about 40,000 years ago, their culture appears to have flourished with major advances in the use of tools and the development of figurative art. The Aurignacian culture has been called the first modern humans in Europe.
The exact origins of the town are not well defined. There appears to have been a Benedictine church and associated village before 1100 AD, but the first official record is from 1109, regarding Roger d'Aurignac, the Seigneur of the town. Between 1230 and 1240, Bernard V, Count of Comminges, built a fortified chateau on the hill around which the village had grown up. In 1600, Henry IV ordered the destruction of the chateau. All that remains today are the church, a well-restored donjon on the peak of the hill and some of the ramparts, which have been incorporated into houses.
[edit] References
- Aurignac official web site (http://www.aurignac.fr/homepage/home.jsp|title=Aurigan et son Canton) accessed 16 Oct 2006
- Concise Britannica - Aurignacian (http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9356148/Aurignacian|title=Concise Britannica: Aurignacian) accessed 16 Oct 2006
- Aurignacian, The First Modern Humans (http://lithiccastinglab.com/gallery-pages/2002marchaurignacianpage1.htm) accessed 4 Nov 2006
- History of the Donjon - Notice erected by the Mairie of Aurignac
