The Museum of Tautavel European Center of Prehistory is a complex built around the "Homme de Tautavel". It presents the history of humanity in Europe since the first Europeans to the gates of history by taking examples from the nearby area of Tautavel.
In 1971, the discovery of the "Homme de Tautavel" (-450,000 years) by the teams of the Professor Lumley has generated the will to create a scientific and cultural center. This bold step has triggered a tremendous development of the town of Tautavel and brought him unprecedented fame and appeal. Aged twenty, the "Homme de Tautavel" was 1m60 tall. That Homo heidelbergensis had all the characteristics of the first Europeans: a receding forehead, a ridge above the orbits, prominent cheekbones and a forward jaw. If he had not yet mastered the fire, he proved to be an excellent hunter. Presumably he would have chosen the site of the "Caune de l'Arago" for its location: there he could dominate the valley, his source of water and therefore his preys.
The Museum of Prehistory lets you go meet these men and put them in the context of European prehistory.
The Museum of Tautavel is as renowned for the richness of his collections as for his cultural and recreational activities that allow visitors throughout the year to capture the lives of their ancestors.