Item of the month
Each month, the Musée du Malgré-Tout showcases an artifact from the reserves of its many collections. Discover the object of the month for February 2026 below:
This month’s featured object: Woolly mammoth teeth unearthed in the Grotte Saint-Joseph in Nismes (Viroinval)
A large collection of fossil bones has been discovered in the Grotte Saint-Joseph, located on the western flank of the Roche Trouée limestone massif near Nismes (commune of Viroinval). These remains were collected in the 1960s by M. Claude Robert, following speleological explorations in the Couvin region.
As early as the end of the XIXᵉ century, several researchers reported the presence of human and animal bones, sometimes associated with prehistoric remains. In the early XXᵉ century, the cave’s bone accumulations were interpreted as the remains of Cro-Magnon meals. Later work, however, suggested a major role for carnivores, particularly the cave hyena.
Three small molars and two molar fragments are the only pieces that can be attributed with certainty to the mammoth. The three small molars belong to young mammoths less than 3.5 years old. The other two molars appear to come from a single individual aged between 6 and 14 years.
To be discovered until the end of the month!
