Musée d'archéologie du Jura
Archaeology and natural history museum of the Jura in Lons-le-Saunier, currently being redeveloped, with the oldest known dinosaur in France.
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About the museum
The archaeology museum is one of the museums of the town of Lons-le-Saunier, whose origins go back to 1817. Since the 19th century it has received objects from excavations in the Jura as well as gifts from private individuals: local and foreign collections, for example Egyptian ones, and exotic shells.
Its collections illustrate some 400 million years of Jura history, from the formation of the massif to the most recent human activities. The palaeontological holdings include a 210-million-year-old Plateosaurus, the oldest dinosaur known in France. Its bones were discovered in 1982 by teenagers from Lons-le-Saunier and excavated from 1990 to 1992 by a CNRS team. The archaeological collections span some 145,000 years, from the Lower Palaeolithic to the contemporary period, with Neolithic sites such as Chalain and Clairvaux-les-Lacs, the Bronze Age, the Gallo-Roman period and the Middle Ages.
The museum is currently being redeveloped. There is therefore no permanent route open to the public: the archaeology and natural history collections are shown in temporary exhibitions and at national events such as Museum Night, the French National Archaeology Days and the European Heritage Days.
Highlights
- 210-million-year-old Plateosaurus, the oldest dinosaur known in France
- Archaeological collections of the Jura, from the Palaeolithic to the contemporary period
- Neolithic sites of Chalain and Clairvaux-les-Lacs
- Rocks, minerals and fossils of the Jura
- Founded
- 1817
- Operated by
- Ville de Lons-le-Saunier
- Visitors per year
- approx. 13,447
Admission & discounts
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Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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