With the purchase of the Gabillou cave in Sourzac in 1955, this doctor became a « lucky amateur prehistorian ». Introduced into the academic world of prehistory through his research and excavations at Gabillou, he continued his prehistoric studies on the occupation of the Isle valley in the Upper Paleolithic. Doctor Gaussen unearthed the first Paleolithic settlement paving in France in 1957 in Saint-Louis en L’Isle. His meticulous excavations enabled him to put forward ethnological hypotheses on Palaeolithic societies as a precursor. For conservation reasons, he did not open the Gabillou cave to the public in large numbers.
Illustrations :
– Photograph of Jean Gaussen with Abbé Breuil during his visit to the cave in 1958. (Photo Marie-Louise Gaussen © Gaussen family)
– Photography of Arlette and André Leroy-Gourhan in the cave of Gabillou with Jean Gaussen in the 1980s. (Photo Marie-Louise Gaussen © Gaussen family)
– Photograph of the paving of the Cherry tree in Saint Front de Pradoux. Photo Jean Gaussen © Gaussen family)