Cambous Site
Return to the past with a journey through time at the Cambous site. The stroll through the heart of the 2 hectares of scrubland of the prehistoric village built at the end of the Neolithic
One of the oldest villages in France
The Cambous site sheds light on a pivotal period in our history. At the end of prehistory, a profound transformation began, with the transition from a way of life based on hunting and gathering to agriculture and livestock farming.
These new agro-pastoral activities led to permanent settlement, accompanied by numerous technical innovations. This is the story told by the village of Cambous, and it is also part of the history of Grand Pic Saint-Loup.
A remarkable state of preservation.
Here, and nowhere else, a fossilised landscape has survived for almost five millennia, still astonishing researchers and visitors alike.
Its remarkable state of preservation is due to its construction technique: unlike the Neolithic houses built in most regions of France, Cambous was not built from clay and wood, which are perishable materials, but from dry stone.
Four groups of eight to ten huts each have been uncovered since 1967. The adjoining dwellings have thick stone and flagstone walls, with an elongated layout and apsidal ends: this architecture is typical of the Fontbouisse people.
A dwelling with a flagstone and thatched roof has been reconstructed on the edge of the site.
An archaeological treasure
It dates from the Chalcolithic period (or Copper Age), between 2700 and 2300 BC. Over these four centuries, a sophisticated culture known as Fontbouisse flourished. It takes its name from a site in the Sommières region (Gard), where fairly similar remains were studied in the 1940s.
In the Garrigues (regions of limestone hills where garrigue vegetation grows) of Gard, Hérault and Ardèche, the Fontbouisse people built countless dolmens and villages with stone houses. There are more than two hundred hamlets of this type, but barely 20% have been studied by archaeologists. Much work remains to be done, and the Cambous site demonstrates the value of the research carried out in these regions.
A journey through time.
Built from stone, unlike most buildings of the period, which were made from wood, it is considered one of the oldest villages in France still visible today. Equipped to welcome visitors, notably with the reconstruction of a dwelling from the period, it is also a centre for archaeological research and excavations.
It specialises in experimental archaeology, which involves recreating prehistoric techniques and skills to better understand how they evolved.
Current events
Opening times
Due to possible wildfire and heatwave alerts, the site may change its opening times and periods.
Check its Facebook page for any closure periods.
- From 5 April to 6 July, then from 1 September to 31 October:
Saturdays and Sundays from 2 pm to 6 pm - From 7 July to 31 August:
Wednesday to Sunday from 2 pm to 7 pm - The site can be visited independently by following the explanatory markers.
- Guided tours for groups and schools are available by prior booking throughout the year.
Admission
- Full price: €4
- Reduced price: €2
(ages 6–18, students, jobseekers, Pass’Pic cardholders, visitors to Halle du Verre or Maison des Consuls) - Free – under 6s
Getting there
- Village préhistorique de Cambous – 34380
Viols-en-Laval
GPS: N 43.75587 / E 3.73244 - To travel by bus to Village Préhistorique de Cambous: take route 608, alight at the "Mairie" stop, then walk 850 m.
- Accessibility: the path through the garrigue is difficult for people with reduced mobility
