Villiage de Bories 2002

In a car, this is a day tip from Avignon. Since Neolithic times, people in this region of France have been building villages from dry stone, without mortar or cement and without tools. There are literally hundreds of them scattered around France. This one, the Villiage des Bories was inhabited from the 16th century to the early 20th century. It is now deserted and restored. While I liked this place, I cannot imagine what it must have been like to live here. These pictures were taken in April 2002.

It's a bit obscure getting here. The hotel gave us a driving map and we set out over narrow country roads. After an hour of driving, and after a few wrong turns, we arrived at a dirt parking lot and followed the path in the picture to the left. You can click on all these thumbnails, as usual, to expand the photos.
At the end of the path was a stone plateau upon which sits the Villiage. In the winter, there might be snow on the ground. This was a warm spring day. The sun, low in the sky due to the season and the hour, provided a white filtered light.
Here you can see a couple of these "huts." It is amazing to me they stand of their own accord. The stones are stacked with precision but it makes me wonder what force of nature keeps them from falling down.
Here inside one of the huts is a fireplace. There are cooking tools to the left and right and the wall is blackened above the fireplace. This room was tall enough to stand erect, but many were not. Gravity, friction, and the "angle of repose" I suppose.

Here inside a stable, there's a bin for feed.
This is my favorite picture. No significance especially, I just like it artistically. Consider it a still life of Neolithic proportion.
Here is a bit closer view of the construction of these huts.
And finally, an ultimate close-up of one of the walls.