I went to Fay-les-Nemours, an area in the south of Paris. I had heard that many rocks used to polish stone tools from the Neolithic period had been preserved there, and I was eager to see them.
The starting point, Gare de Bagneaux-sur-Loin, is about an hour and a half away by train from Gare de Lyon in Paris, which runs through the Paris suburbs.
From the station to the first polished rock, it is about an hour’s walk through fields and forests. The path is flat and the fantastic view of the morning mist was beautiful, but it was the day after it rained, so it was quite muddy underfoot. Trekking shoes are a must.
We have arrived at the first polished rock. There are two rocks here, and when you touch the hollowed-out area, it is more smooth than you can imagine; this is truly a sharpening stone! Participants took pictures and touched the rocks as they pleased, imagining what life was like in the Neolithic Age.
After leaving the first, another hour’s walk brings us to the second. This rock is characterized by eight grooves; the third and fourth are also nearby, the third with five grooves and the fourth with 12 grooves and two hollows. Depending on the shape of the stoneware, it appears that the blade edge was sharpened in the groove area and the surface was polished in the indentation area.
Going back toward the Bagneaux-sur-Loin station where we started and going to the other side, we arrived at the fifth one. This polished rock was the most famous, large, 130 cm in diameter, with 10 grooves and 4 hollows.
A half-hour walk from the fifth is the sixth polished rock, with two hollows; the seventh has four grooves and one hollow. The seventh has four grooves and one hollow, and is characterized by a large protrusion. The eighth and final rock has one groove, two dimples, and six dimples.
These eight rocks marked the end of our search for polished rocks. If you look closely, you can see that each rock has its own characteristics, and the trek to find polished rocks was more enjoyable than expected.
Return again to the station where you started. From here you can return to Paris, but if you have the energy, be sure to visit the Ile-de-France Museum of Prehistory, another hour’s walk away.
Although it is a small museum, it has over 2 million exhibits from prehistoric times, with 2,500 items from the Stone Age to the Iron Age on permanent display. There are also many weapons and tools made from sharpened rocks on display, and it was very interesting to see how such a wide variety of items could be made from the sharpened rocks that I have seen in person.
There were also special exhibitions for a limited time, and many children in their early elementary school years, who were probably there on a school escort, also came to the exhibition.
If you go to the Ile-de-France Museum of Prehistory, you can return from the Nemours Saint-Pierre station, which offers a nice view of the town and castle over the canal on the way to the station.
The prehistoric period is also imaginative because of the lack of written historical records. We recommend trekking to find 8 sharpened rocks where you can enjoy the scenery of the town as well as nature!
© Source travel watch