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The caves of Menez Dregan The archaeological digs of Menez Dregan provide a key site for learning more about some of the most ancient populations of western Europe and Asia. The clues that have been found in the oldest layers of the cave here trace the remains back some 465 000 years before our time into the Lower Paleolithic period, a group that was based on the south-armor coast, between Noirmoutier and Crozon. The digs have revealed evidence of stone-sharpened tools, bones and remains of original dwellings, allowing experts to say that the use of fire on this site is one of the oldest in Europe. In the fifth layer dating back more than 380 000 years, we found a fragment of an elephant’s tooth. In turn, paleo-genetic tests on ancient DNA revealed that material from the ninth layer included bones from great mammals, such as the odd-toed mammals known as ‘perissodactyls’. These creatures are related to rhinos and zebras.