Archaeologists Unearth Rare Neolithic Settlement, Sheds Light on Civilization and Agricultural Practice

In one of the most exciting archaeological finds, a group of researchers has revealed an extraordinary Neolithic village that dates back 5,400 years, hidden away in Cavalaire-sur-Mer, a charming coastal town along the French Riviera, according to the Jerusalem Post. This amazing discovery by the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research opens up unparalleled windows into the development of human civilization and early agricultural practice in southern France.
Discovery News! @Inrap unearthed a neolithic house in the Var during preventive excavations. It is one of the oldest stone houses identified in Provence and the first in France to date to the Mediterranean ’impresso-cardial’ period which developed c. 5000 BCE. #archeology pic.twitter.com/ve0hzz6v6n
— La Gazette Drouot – International (@Gazette_Inter) January 23, 2025
What was supposed to be a parking lot construction site has now turned into a treasure of historical importance. Buried under four meters of coastal sediment, archaeologists have found an exceptionally well-preserved stone structure that provides a very rare window into the Cardial period—a time when human societies were transitioning from nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled agricultural communities. For the head of the preventive excavations, Raphaëlle Guilbert-Berger, this is "rather exceptional," the Jerusalem Post. This settlement, seven by five meters in size, had distinctive architectural features that made it different from earlier archaeological finds. The structure consists of two parallel stone walls with a unique mortar of raw earth and gravel, showing the advanced building skills of early Neolithic farmers.
Such a rapidly expanding culture represents one of the most important Mediterranean-wide cultural expansions, characterized by its distinctive pottery with cardial shell impressions. This cultural expansion swept into Greece, through southern Italy, and finally onto the shores of southern France at around 5800 BCE. The Cavalaire-sur-Mer site is only the second known open-air Cardial settlement ever discovered in France, making it an extraordinary archaeological find. Fragments of ceramics included within the walls are clear evidence of the age and cultural environment of this place. The ornamentation on these pottery fragments is the hallmark indicator of the Cardium period, confirming that this settlement represents an important period in history.

Similarities to earlier finds in Greece, Slovenia, and central Italy have been striking, pointing to the complex network of cultural exchange in this formative period. More than architectural remains were brought to light by the excavation. Isolated hearths and a fire feature area with remains on a surface of four square meters are indicative of a very complex, organized community, as per Science Live. Such discoveries contradict earlier hypotheses that early Neolithic societies were very unsophisticated and without the degree of social organization so far unearthed. Researchers assume that there are further remains of some of France's earliest farmers buried beneath alluvium deposited by the Mediterranean River.

This is a very important discovery because there are very few examples of open-air Neolithic settlements known in France. Most of the archaeological evidence for this period has come from caves and rock shelters; thus, the Cavalaire-sur-Mer site is of inestimable value for research into early human adaptation and patterns of settlement. The Neolithic period was one of revolutionary changes in the history of humankind. Agriculture and stock farming replaced nomadic lifestyles, providing the foundation upon which modern societies would be built.