A history of discovery
From quarry to scientific excavation
2008–2010: recognising a discovery
Angeac’s story began before the first excavation season. Dinosaur bones were collected as early as 2008 in the quarry operated by Audoin et fils. Excavator operator Jean-Pierre Paillot found a vertebra, a metatarsal and fragments of large sauropod bones.
Further bones uncovered in January and February 2010 led to a scientific excavation being organised. These discoveries preceded the first field season in late summer.
Chronology established in Allain et al., 2022 ↗, p. 686.
Milestones at the dig
Late August – early September 2010
The first excavation season
Around fifteen participants from the Musée d’Angoulême, the University of Rennes and the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle excavated an initial area of 20 m². The 599 fossils recorded in this assessment included a 2.2 m sauropod femur.
From 2011
Regular excavation seasons
The results encouraged excavation on a larger scale, supported by local authorities and Audoin. Successive seasons expanded the areas studied, combining excavation, recording and fossil preparation.
2010, 2013 and 2018
A site gradually revealed
Successive field seasons progressively extended the explored areas within the quarry.
From fieldwork to collections
Preserving each specimen’s history
Fossils enter the Musée d’Angoulême collections with their discovery data. Catalogue numbers and field records allow research to continue after excavation.
Three stages of exploration
The people behind this adventure → · What the research has revealed →
