Location: Belgium Wallonia Dinant
Prehistoric cave above the Lesse at Furfooz (Dinant) – site of hearths, flint tools and engraved reindeer antler rods.
Interesting facts
- About 200 flint tools were found in the cave.
- One of the engraved rods shows a bison that looks like a mammoth when turned around.
- No human remains were found in this cave.
Why visit
- An important Magdalenian site
- Karst landscape in the Lesse valley
The Trou des Nutons, also called the Chantoir des Nutons, is a cave and prehistoric site at Furfooz, part of Dinant, near the River Lesse. It belongs to a network of hollows carved by the river into the karst.
In 1864 the zoologist Pierre Joseph Van Beneden and the geologist and prehistorian Édouard Dupont investigated the cave – their first site in an assignment from the Belgian government. In a clay layer about one metre thick they found animal remains, including domestic sheep, goats and pigs as well as a wolf and a brown bear.
No human remains came to light, but there were hearths and about 200 flint tools. The site is linked to Magdalenian people, who mainly hunted reindeer and horses. Two engraved reindeer antler rods are known from the cave; one shows a bison that, turned around, can also be read as a mammoth.
History
Investigated in 1864 by Pierre Joseph Van Beneden and Édouard Dupont as the first site of a research assignment from the Belgian government.
Special features
Karst cave above the Lesse with Magdalenian finds: hearths, about 200 flint tools and two engraved reindeer antler rods.
Map
Opens an external route planner. Please check access and opening times before you set off.
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