ORIGINS OF MAN IN SOUTHWEST FRANCE AND NORTHERN SPAIN October 9-18, 2021
Dear Yale Traveler, Join us on a journey to discover the mysteries, clues, and artistry behind the art created by early humans tens of thousands of years ago.
From France’s stunning Dordogne region to the caves of Cantabria, Spain, you will meet with archaeologists to delve into the origins of early humans and see some of Europe’s oldest fossil finds.
As you explore Dordogne, Basque Country, and northern Spain, you’ll stay in beautiful places: a cliff-side village on the Vézère River, an age-old monastery in Toulouse, and a parador in the medieval gem of Santillana del Mar in Spain.
Roderick McIntosh Yale Class of 1954 Professor of Anthropology
Roderick J. McIntosh ‘73, Class of 1954 Professor of Anthropology and Curator- in-Charge of Anthropology at the Peabody Museum, is an archaeologist who has dedicated his career to studying the Ancient World. He earned his Ph.D. at Cambridge University in 1979. Before returning to Yale in 2006, he taught at Rice University for more than twenty-five years. He boasts over 40 years of fieldwork in French-speaking Africa. For five summers, he has taught at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, where he remains on the faculty as Honorary Professor. He is spearheading a project in the Limpopo River corridor, drafting a human response to environmental change. Professor McIntosh is also currently working on a manuscript about the origins of Africa’s first empires. Pricing $6,995 double occupancy $7,845 single occupancy Deposit $1,000 per person
Preliminary Itinerary | alumniacademy.yale.edu Saturday, October 9: USA Thursday, October 14: Basque Country / Depart the U.S. for Bordeaux, France. Santillana del Mar, Spain Journey into France’s Basque region today to explore the Isturitz Sunday, October 10: Bordeaux / Vézère Valley and Oxocelhaya caves. These caves were inhabited by early Arrive in Bordeaux and travel along the Dordogne River humans for some 80,000 years, and the artifacts found within as it wends past rolling meadows and castle-topped hills. offer clues about their lives. This afternoon, we enter Spain and After settling into your hotel, gather for a welcome reception follow the coast to the Cantabria region. and dinner. Friday, October 15: Puente Viesgo Caves Monday, October 11: Vézère Valley A UNESCO World Heritage site, the caves of Cantabria harbor Spend the morning at the National Museum of Prehistory. some of the oldest art in the world. Spend the morning at the Enjoy lunch in Les Eyzies before venturing into the cave of caves of Puente Viesgo, recently discovered to be thousands of Font-de-Gaume. Here, you’ll see some 200 original paintings years older than previously thought. At El Castillo, examine dating back 14,000 years featuring bison, mammoth, and original paintings, the oldest of which date back 40,800 even a wooly rhinoceros. This afternoon, wander through years. Then, explore the nearby Las Monedas cave, with its Sarlat-la-Canéda. paintings of goats and bears. This afternoon, visit the Museum of Altamira to see a full-size exact replica of the magnificent Tuesday, October 12: Lascaux IV / Castel-Merle paintings of the Altamira Cave. This morning visit the new International Center for Cave Art, the home of Lascaux IV. The center presents not only the Saturday, October 16: El Pendo / Bilbao recreated paintings of the original cave site—closed to the public This morning, head into El Pendo cave, where significant since 1963—but also reconstructs the experience of discovering discoveries continue to be made, including evidence of a the cave. Later, visit Castel-Merle with an archaeologist whose permanent Neanderthal settlement. After lunch, journey to family discovered prehistoric etchings and artifacts in stone Bilbao and have the rest of the day to explore this great city. shelters on their homestead. Enjoy a “prehistoric” lunch made with ingredients used by Neanderthals, and then head to Sunday, October 17: Atapuerca / Bilbao Rouffignac Cave, an eight-kilometer-long cave with more An archaeologist joins you today for a visit to the caves of than a hundred drawings and carvings of mammoths. Atapuerca. Named a World Heritage site in 2000, these caves have yielded an incomparable trove of fossils and artifacts, Wednesday, October 13: Pech Merle / Toulouse including some of the oldest hominin fossils found in Europe. Travel south this morning to Pech Merle, an immense cave with Return to Bilbao and gather for a farewell dinner this evening. art that dates back 25,000 years. Within its galleries, you will find spotted animals and a child’s footprints preserved in clay. Monday, October 18: Depart Bilbao After lunch on your own, continue to the vibrant university After breakfast, transfer to Bilbao Airport for your flight home. town of Toulouse.
This is a preliminary itinerary. Final details about the program will be available soon. For more information on this Yale Alumni Academy program, please visit alumniacademy.yale.edu/originsman21 or contact us at (203) 432-1952 or [email protected].