Removals to France – Explore the Country’s Most Ancient Sites When You Move Here

If you require removals to France, the Pompeii Exhibition in the British Museum, may well be a source of inspiration. This exhibition – and many others like it – has created a revived interest in ancient history and, just like Italy and Pompeii, France has more than its fair share of ancient sites to visit. Some of these sites are of particular significance; there is evidence, for example, of one of the earliest uses of fire in Europe. Archaeological digs across the country prove in fact that removals to France are not a recent phenomenon at all, but that people have been moving to and from the country for centuries.

At Hamiltons removals, we offer a part or full load French removals service, which is tailored to your specific requirements. We have a state-of-the-art, secure storage facility for use when awaiting containers and we offer a full packing and unpacking service. We can even have the home or office you are vacating professionally cleaned. We've looked at every aspect of the removals process and perfected our services to give you complete satisfaction and peace of mind.

If you need a quotation for your own removals to France and are looking for a removals company with a reputation for providing great customer service at very competitive rates, contact Hamiltons Removals today. We are a member of the trade association BAR (British Association of Removers), The Road Haulage Association and are BS EN ISO 9001:2000 registered.

We have prepared this blog post to look at some of the best-known and most ancient sites in France. We'll look at what happened there, what has been found there and what there is for you to see now. Enjoy.

Removals to France –  click here to find out more about our removals to France service.

Chauvet Cave

The Chauvet Cave can be found in the Ardèche Gorge, Near Vallon in southern France. It is one of the most significant prehistoric art sites in Europe and shows cave art known to be of Palaeolithic origin.  Discovered in 1994, the cave paintings depicting mammoths, rhinoceroses, lions, panthers, bears, horses and bison are of extremely high quality, vivid in colour and highly detailed. The public are not allowed access to the cave itself for fear of damaging the artwork but a modern installation at the site displays pictures of the artwork which can be purchased in postcard and poster form and a high quality coffee table book has been produced with full colour photographs and artists impressions. A replica of the cave is due to open nearby in 2014.

Glanum 

Located 1 km south of St.Rémy in southern France, Glanum was a fortified town founded in the 6th century. It later fell to the Romans but was abandoned after the collapse of their Empire. Preserved now, it is particularly well known for two Roman monuments: a mausoleum and what is, reputedly, the oldest triumphal arch in France. Entrance to the site (at time of writing) is €7.50 per person but that'd be money well spent. On entrance you're given a free information leaflet that is backed up by information boards throughout the site, written in both French and English. Parking and disabled access is easy with a car park located not far from the entrance and ramps and wheelchair friendly pathways in place around most, if not all, of the site.

Glozel

Situated just south of Vichy in France, the site at Glozel has been causing trouble ever since it was first discovered in 1924. It has since been dubbed "the most controversial site of the 20th century". This is because opinion is divided in archaeological circles as to whether the artefacts discovered here are genuine or not. One school of thought dates the items to Neolithic times yet another, equally well respected opinion is that they are fakes. The problems lie in the fact that there are large variations in the results from carbon dating tests and also that, over time, the writings here have been added to and altered like constantly evolving ancient graffiti. Interestingly, there is evidence here of an early form of short hand, where vowels are omitted because they are audible in the consonant sound as in the case of b(e), c(e), d(e), (e)f and (e)s etc.

Grotte du Vallonnet

Discovered in 1958, Cave Vallonnet is located in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in the Alpes-Maritimes region of France. From the outside, it looks like a small triangular aperture in limestone rock but soon opens into a large chamber. Discoveries made here include fossil bones and carved chopping tools. Four years later, and during the following ten years, after the site had received official recognition and preservation, excavations began in earnest and thousands of bones, from all sorts of animals, were uncovered. There is also an impressive collection of stalagmites and stalactites, typical of limestone rock. Currently closed to the public, if you're in the area its well worth taking a look around, even if it is just to imagine what life must've been like here for prehistoric man.

Lascaux

The caves at Lascaux are famed for their Palaeolithic cave art. Located near to the village of Montignac, in the department of Dordogne in France, these caves – along with those at Chauvet – are among the most impressive and well-known artistic creations of Palaeolithic Man. Unusually, here at Lascaux, there is a pictorial representation of Man; most of the cave art dated to this time is of animals and of dangerous ones at that. It is generally accepted that these pictures served as a warning to other humans, to be wary of this animal. Another school of thought suggests that these paintings served as a primitive menu, indicating that the pictured animals were either good to eat or whose skins would make for good clothing.

A guided tour of the cave takes about 40 minutes. You can buy tickets at the Tourist Office in Montignac during the summer season and, in the off-season, you can buy them on site. Ticket prices for Lascaux II and other cultural attractions in the area can also be found at the Tourist Office. It may be difficult to get tickets for same-day tours during the peak season, as visitors are limited to 2000 per day. Free parking and the use of picnic tables make a visit to the caves at Lascaux extremely worthwhile.

Terra Amata

Found on the slopes of Mount Boron in Nice, this open-air site was discovered in 1966. There is evidence of a settlement of huts and, inside each of the huts, a central fire. These are among the earliest examples of the domestic use of fire. Others include the Menez Dregan in the Finistere in France, Beeches Pit in Suffolk, England, and Vertesszollos in Hungary. Clues to this domestication come from low stone walls and beach pebbles placed to the northwest of the fires, sheltering them from strong winds. Also discovered on site was evidence of tools fashioned from beach stones. There is a small but interesting museum on site displaying some of the cutting tools found and artists’ impressions of the way the site would have looked 400,000 years ago.

About Hamiltons

With over 20 years in the removals business, Hamiltons Removals have built up an enviable reputation for quality of service and reliability. Visit our site for the latest currency information or to get a quick quote for your domestic move or fill out the online questionnaire for a more detailed one. Take a look or print off our online brochure and give us a call on 0845 003 8259. We look forward to helping you with your removals to France.

Removals to France –  click here to find out more about our removals to France service or click here for a free European removals quote.