Introduction and History of Research in the Senèze Maar

The Senèze paleontological site (Haute-Loire, France) is situated on the banks of a maarMaar lake, in the Auvergne volcanic region. It was first reported by M. BouleBoule, Marcellin in 1892, following the chance discovery of a proboscidean skeleton reported by local scholars. Pierre PhilisPhilis, Pierre, a local peasant, became interested in fossil mammals and collected them in the fields around the hamlet over more than 40 years, from the end of the nineteenth century until the start of World War II. He sold them to museum curators, especially to H. G. Stehlin (Naturhistorisches Musem Basel), C. Depéret (Faculté des Sciences de Lyon), C. Gaillard (Muséum d’Histoire naturelle de Lyon)Muséum d’Histoire naturelle Lyon, see Musée des Confluences and M. Boule (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris)Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris. The resulting collections, including mounted skeletons exhibited in museums, made the site famous. New species (and genera) of ruminant artiodactyls, primate and carnivores were defined from Senèze, which became a biochronological reference site for the late Villafranchian. After the war, only a few short field campaigns (prospecting, survey, mapping and minimal excavation) were undertaken, and it became clear that renewed research was required to better understand this important site. The Franco-American fieldwork led by the authors began with a survey and request for excavation permits in 2000, followed by intensive mapping, prospection and excavation from 2001–2006. After a brief review of previous work at and about Senèze, each year of our research is summarized and illustrated. The succeeding chapters of this volume are also “previewed”.