The Ministry of Culture and Communication welcomes the results of the 4e edition of the National Archaeology Days organized on 7, 8 and 9 June 2013 in more than 559 places in metropolitan France and in the overseas departments. More than 120,000 visitors took part in this cultural and scientific event, which offered more than 1,150 events in more than 440 municipalities, an increase in attendance of 31% compared to 2012.
The public was able to discover excavations, archaeological sites, exhibitions in museums or laboratories, and a myriad of initiatives.
75 excavation sites were exceptionally open. They aroused great interest. The municipality of Bono in Morbihan (2,200 inhabitants) welcomed 1,350 visitors on this occasion. In Paris, 3,500 visitors were able to discover the construction site of the Paris Police Prefecture on the Ile de la Cité. The Open House of Excavations alone was the signature event of these days and attracted more than 37,000 visitors.
Partner of the National Archaeology Days 2013, arte has devoted more than 7 hours of programs to archaeology on its antenna, June 8. The audience was at the rendezvous, in France as in Germany, for this special day «archaeology». Thus, the documentary by Jean-Jacques Beineix, The Gauls, beyond the myth, aired at 8:50 pm had a very nice audience with 990 000 viewers and 4.6% market share. This is the 2013 Saturday Prime Time Audience Record (Human Adventure box).
The 2013 National Archaeology Days were sponsored by the EDF Foundation and Bouygues Travaux Publics. They had national media partners Le Monde, Télérama, Le Journal des Arts, Archéologia, Sciences et Avenir, La Gazette des Communes, France Culture and arte and for regional media partners Le Courrier Picard, L'Est Républicain, La Nouvelle République, Ouest France, Paris Normandie, Le Républicain Lorrain, Sud Ouest, La Voix du Nord and Vosges Matin.