MONACO NEIGHBOURHOOD
THE GRIMALDIS INCENTED RESEARCH AND DISCOVERY WITHIN BALZI ROSSI
Florestan I , Prince of Monaco , first boosted some investigations in situ in 1846 and , since then , an extraordinary series of archaeological remains have been brought to light dating from Lower and Upper Palaeolithic with some evidence of Middle Paleolithic Mousterian tools . Burials , stone carvings , lithic collections , parietal engravings and many other tools such as blades , scrapers and arrowheads have survived unscathed until nowadays , witnessing the succession of human settlements . In 1858 , François Forel , president of the Historical Society of Western Switzerland , started excavations on a scientific basis in the ‘ Grande Barma ’ Cave and in Caviglione ’ s Cave .
Balzi Rossi took on great importance , starting from the first half of the nineteenth century on the impulse of the Grimaldi Family whose territory extended as far as Menton until 1848 .
© Musée d ’ Anthropologie Préhistorique de Monaco / O . Notter
The Prince ’ s Cave formerly called the Cave of the Roman Bridge , before the excavations of Léonce de Villeneuve ( Boule , 1906 – modif . O . Notter )
© Museo Preistorico dei Balzi Rossi
Since 1892 , Prince Albert I of Monaco continued to finance scientific explorations of seven areas considered of great interest . Not surprisingly , the largest spot on the east side , the Prince ’ s Cave ( former Roman Bridge ’ s Cave ) entered the property of the Prince ’ s Palace . Those findings , covering a period of 200,000 years , are currently on display at the Musée d ’ Anthropology Préhistorique de Monaco ( Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology of Monaco ). Another relevant collection of findings is shown in the Balzi Rossi Prehistoric Museum , belonging to the Italian Superintendence of Cultural Heritage , made of two buildings renewed in 1994 and re-inaugurated , most recently , in 2018 in the presence of H . S . H . Prince Albert II of Monaco .
Iliac bone of Heidelbergensis woman dating about 200,000 years ago – Balzi Rossi , Italy
But Balzi Rossi , a true snapshot of remote times unveiled by a series of international highly qualified research studies , is even more than just a prehistoric site . It provides also important geological information and clues about the evolution of fauna such as : some tropical animals , once indigenous , like the Merck ’ s rhinoceros , hippopotamus and some remains of a straight-tusked elephant which are showcased at the Balzi Rossi Museum .
Hello Monaco Spring 2021 / 109 www . hellomonaco . com