The association Nissart Per Tougiou (Niรงois Pour Toujours) presented yesterday, at its premises on rue du Trident (Nice-Riquier), the Prehistory in the Alpes-Maritimes through two books, “Where the Earth Touches the Sky” and “The Suspended Times”.
The association therefore organized the conference “The Valley of Wonders between Science, Fiction, Art, and Poetry” in collaboration with the Editions Mรฉmoires Millรฉnaires. It has always conveyed the values of the Nissart culture: its language, traditions, gastronomy, and of course, its history. It honored Prehistory through two books, “Where the Earth Touches the Sky” by Fabrice Anfosso and Frรฉdรฉric Boyer, and “The Suspended Times” by Michel Butor, Henri Maccheroni, and Bertrand Roussel, Deputy Director of the Nice Archaeology Museum (1).
The Alpes-Maritimes has a rich prehistoric past. It should be known that Roquebrune Cap-Martin holds one of the oldest prehistoric sites in Europe. It was in Terra Amata, in Nice, about 400,000 years ago, that one of the oldest known arranged hearths in the world was discovered, along with one of the first footprints of a prehistoric man. Then, 50,000 years before our era, gatherers and hunters settled on the Cรดte d’Azur. These two books address the scientific, poetic, fictional, and artistic aspects of this period in history.
Released in November 2010, “The Suspended Times” offers the perspectives of three men: a poet, Michel Butor, an international artist, Henri Maccheroni, and finally a prehistorian and Deputy Director of the Nice Archaeology Museum, Bertrand Roussel. Each provides their vision on three sites in the Alpes-Maritimes: the Valley of Wonders during the Metal Ages, the site of Terra Amata during the Lower Paleolithic, and the Saint-Barnabรฉ plateau during the Upper Jurassic.
As for “Where the Earth Touches the Sky,” published at the end of 2007, it is more of a novel. It deals with the story of Orosh, a frail man scorned by many in his village. To prove his courage, he decides to climb the Sacred Mountain during winter when access is forbidden to mortals. Accompanied by his younger brother Arik and an adventure dreamer, Driรขa, they cross lands and encounter various civilizations for a new vision of the World.
From Egypt to Thessaly, passing by the banks of the Euphrates, they encounter people, including Bahamon, an enigmatic traveler. Trapped in their ice prison, the Gods comment on the journey and may well fear the ascent to the summit of the Mountain by Orosh-the-Frail. Through this book, Fabrice Anfosso and Fabrice Boyer attempt to bring Prehistory to life in the middle of the Valley of Wonders (Vallรฉe du Mercantour) in the north of the department.
