Investigación arqueológica, explotación turística y conservación en una cueva clásica de la Prehistoria franco-cantábrica: la Grotte d’Isturitz (Saint-Martin d’Arberoue, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Francia),

Resumen

Located in the westernmost sector of the Pyrenees, the Grotte d'Isturitz opens in the carbonate massif of the Gaztelu hill, forming part of the Isturitz-Oxocelhaya-Erberua karstic system. Known since ancient times by the inhabitants of the Erberua valley and mentioned in texts since the 17th century, the cavity contains evidence of human activity from Prehistory (Middle and Upper Paleolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age) to contemporary times. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the cave was in the hands of several owners, but already in its first decade the cavity was owned by A. Darricau, to whom his granddaughter J. Darricau would inherit, current owner and responsible. The Isturitz-Oxocelhaya system has been protected since 1953 with the category of “Monument Historique de France”, and in 1996 the entire Gaztelu hill was included in the "Inventaire supplémentaire des Monuments Historiques". Between 1895 and 1898, phosphate mining was realized inside, which allowed the documentation of an important archaeological site, visited at the beginning of the 20th century by H. Breuil. The first archaeological excavations were carried out by E. Passemard between 1912 and 1923 and, from 1928 to 1959, the Saint-Périer couple were responsible for extensive excavations. From then on, research was carried out by G. Laplace until 1990, who was replaced as scientific manager by the Service Régional d'archéologie de Aquitaine, who between 1996 and 1998 entrusted A. Turq and C. Normand with the scientific evaluation of the cave, for which twelve soundings were carried out, of which No. 7 in the Isturitz Hall was archaeologically fruitful. These works continued in 1999 by a cross-border team and between 2000 and 2010 they continued to be carried out by C. Normand. Since 2020, A. Villaluenga, at the head of a large team, has again intervened in sounding No. 7. This work offers a synthesis of the different archaeological investigations carried out together with some data related to the exploitation and conservation of the cavity.