Today the Périgord and the Dordogne department are synomynes and designate the same territory. Is there a difference between Dordogne and Périgord?
The estimated date of their arrival is frequently revised based on fresh discoveries and analyses.
The earliest modern humans arrived in Europe about 40,000 years ago and these Cro-Magnon later settled in the Dordogne river valleys -the first traces of homo sapiens to arrive in this part of what is now France. This happy confluence of fresh water, natural shelter, decent temperature, fresh fish and woodlands for hunting wild food provided an ideal settling ground for pre-historic (pre-literate) humans. Many of these valleys are riddled with limestone cliffs and caves. The Dordogne (which is the name of a geographical region as well as a river) is sliced east to west, as well as northeast to southwest, by parallel river valleys-the Dronne, Auvézère, Vézère, Dordogne and Dropt.