Lussac-les-Châteaux () is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. History Prehistory The importance of the prehistoric art at Lussac is evidenced by the presence of numerous archaeological artefacts in the Museum of National Antiquities at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The 'Cave of the Goblin' was excavated by A. Brouillet in 1865, by the Abbé Breuil in 1905, by Stéphane Lwoff in 1962, and from 1980 by Jean and André Chollet Airvaux. Among the items found by A. Brouillet were numerous engraved limestone slabs, a barbed arrow, a decorated awl, and a fragment of bone with a drawing of a horse and an ox. This cave was occupied from the middle Magdalenian period, but the discovery of Roman tiles, coins, and a medieval seal shows it was a haven throughout history. 'The Hermitage,' a cave occupied by the Neanderthals, was excavated between 1864 and 1936 by A. Brouillet, the Abbé Breuil, Leon Pericard and Stéphane Lwoff. Thousands of tools were found there. The cave of La Marche was excavated from 1937 onwards by Leon Pericard and Stéphane Lwoff. A major site in prehistoric times, it was visited by the Abbé Breuil on several occasions between 1939 and 1940. It was classified as a historic monument on 4 April 1970. Researchers have discovered a quantity of drawings on limestone slabs, dating from the Magdalenian period 17,000 years ago. These sketches reflect the environment of prehistoric artists, representing various animals (mammoths, antelopes, cats, deer). In addition to drawings of animals, there are a series of human figures (something rare for this time), including the bodies of pregnant women and male faces. These prints are difficult to interpret, because the Magdalenian artists would cover old drawings with ochre, superimposing new drawings onto the same stone. Some archaeologists have speculated that the picture tablets are evidence of a Palaeolithic 'school'. Above all, the pictures bear true witness to Paleolithic life. We admire the graphic precision, the direction of movement given to animals in very simple lines. Beyond their graphic quality, these prints may have been linked to sacred rites or mystery cults. The limestone tablets found at Lussac became reference points for researchers on prehistory, and have the same importance as the cave paintings of Lascaux. Archaeologists also found thousands of tools in flint, bone, and reindeer ivory: chisels, scrapers, awls, needles, drilled sticks, and a spear with a reindeer ivory