In the summer of 2007, we were invited to conduct an archaeological survey close by this famous Pyrenean mountain village.

We found a previously unknown souterrain.

We prepared and submitted a full report to the local university and the appropriate authorities in Paris.

Souterrain (from French 'sous terrain', meaning 'under ground') is a name given by archaeologists to a type of underground structure associated mainly with the Atlantic Iron Age.

Souterrains are underground galleries and, in their early stages, were always associated with a settlement. The galleries were dug out and then lined with stone slabs or wood before being reburied. In cases where they were cut into rock this was not always necessary. They do not appear to have been used for burial or ritual purposes and it has been suggested that they were food stores or hiding places during times of strife.

Société Française d'Étude des Souterrains

Geophysical scan

On Google Earth