Abri de la Madeleine

The archaeological site Abri de la Madeleine is a rock shelter under an overhanging cliff situated near Tursac, in the Dordogne département of the Aquitaine Région of South-Western France. It represents the type site of the Magdalenian culture of the Upper Paleolithic. The Bison Licking Insect Bite, a 20,000 year old carving of exceptional artistic quality, was excavated at the site. The shelter was also occupied during the Middle Ages. The medieval castle of Petit Marsac stands on the top of the cliff just above the shelter. An engraved bone rod from the cave, depicting a lioness licking the opening of either a gigantic human penis or a vulva, shows the first documented act of bestiality.In 1979, the Abri de la Madeleine was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley because of its unique paleolithic artwork and archeological importance.