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Replay available until 01/18/2025 Across Europe, discoveries of burials dating from the recent Paleolithic are shaking up our perception of men and especially women in prehistory. March 28, 1872. On the French-Italian border, archaeologist Émile Rivière unearths a human skeleton that seems very old to him, dated today to at least 24,000 years ago. This major discovery has changed our perception of men and especially women in prehistory. Because the woman who is now called the Lady of Cavillon, after the name of the cave where she was found, was initially mistaken for a man because of her robustness and the richness of her funerary furniture. Her study during the 20th century also tells the story of the change in our view of these prehistoric societies, which are becoming increasingly complex as scientific advances allow us to better understand them. In-depth analyses of other sites elsewhere in Europe complement information collected over the decades. Mostly dated to the Gravettian (34,000 to 24,000 years ago), these burials reveal an ornament of great beauty that raises essential questions. Who were these individuals buried with such care and adornment? Shamans? Chiefs? Victims of sacrifice? Or individuals with a pronounced taste for ornamentation? Shell adornment Through several burials in France, the Czech Republic, Italy and Russia, the documentary explores multiple avenues to try to better understand this Lady of Cavillon wearing a remarkable shell adornment. The film also reveals unpublished images of the exceptional Cussac cave in Dordogne, which combines parietal art and burials. The Dolni Vestonice site in the Czech Republic, with its strange triple burial, and that of Sounghir in Russia are also explored. They allow us to discover that these hunter-gatherer peoples had much more complex mentalities than those previously imagined, as evidenced here by archaeologists, anthropologists and prehistorians. Documentary by Pauline Coste (2021, 53mn) #archaeology #prehistory #arte Subscribe to the ARTE channel / @arte Follow us on social media! Facebook: / artetv Twitter: / artefr Instagram: / artefr