The first human cross-overs in the Vercors mountain originate beyond 100 000 years... Those paleolithic hunters have been pushed back to the valley by the latest glaciation.
Human presence becomes more regular as climate conditions become more gentle, around 10 000 years ago, after the Würm.
One can find around the Vercors many tracks from those humans; the most important beeing in Vassieux en Vercors where is located an ancient flint cut workshop (the prehistorical site).
About a century before our era, the region is surrounded by the great transalpina roman province, everywhere in the plain developments are lead and roman lanes multiply, especially in Die, roman city elevated at the rank of a colony. At this time the close mountains' richnesses are exploited, some sites are still visible such as the roman careers of La Queyrie in the high plateaus.
Because of its priviledged geographical situation and its fortress aspect with a difficult access, the Vercors has been the witness of many strong events in the history.
In the Xth and XIth centuries some basic castles are settled along a north-south axis which traverses the Vercors, the towns are emptied and many local seigniors seek their authority on those mountain territories, granting protection to the people.
The monks at their turn will appreciate the Vercors from the XIIth century. Chartreux and Cistercian monks will settle in different places of the Vercors, sometimes as livestock farmers, others as loggers, becoming masters in matallurgy or pasture. Their presence is deeply appreciated by locals, becasue of protection but also because of spiritual, cultural and artistic radiation (see the Chartreuse of Bouvante, the Cistercian Abbey of Léoncel and Valcroissant).
At the same period, other castles, more solid, are build in the Vercors boundaries (Beauvoir, Rochechinard).
In the XVIth century the inhabitants of the Royans, the Trièves and the Diois will get into the reform and some boody wars will spread out and divide the region. The calm will only come back with the Edit de Tolérance in the XVIIIth century.
Lastly, 60 years ago the Vercors has been chosen as a primary element of the resistance during the second world war (the Mountaineer Plan). A natural fortress besieged by the nazis since July 1944; partisans but also local inhabitants have fought and sometimes paid the price of their lives their freedom will (Mémorial of Resistance, Museum of Resistance, Cave of La Luire). |
