*INRAP : National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research


The National Archaeology Days are a chance to meet up with the past in order to better understand the present and build the future. 

Situated at the crossroads of several scientific fields, archaeology studies the material traces of civilisations, from Prehistory to the contemporary period. Enhancing our knowledge of societies who went before us, gives us a better insight into our present-day world. 

Open to all, the National Archaeology Days (JNA) have been inviting people for 10 years to enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at this discipline through learning and fun activities (excavation simulators, ceramology workshops, mosaics, flint knapping, coins…), through encounters with dig operators and tours of museums and archaeological sites, as well as exhibitions, reconstitutions, screenings, lab procedures... 

For three days, over a thousand events accessible to all will be unfolding across France and, for the first time this year, there will also be encounters at European level - in Belgium, England, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Scotland, Spain and Switzerland.

Organised by the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, the JNAs are in particular sponsored by Bouygues Travaux Publics.

Bouygues Travaux Publics, a leading sponsor of the National Institute for Preventive Archaeology 

Created in 2002, INRAP’s mission is to ensure the detection and study of archaeological heritage upstream of development work in France. Each year, it carries out some 1,800 archaeological diagnostic analyses and over 200 excavations on behalf of private and public developers, in France and overseas. Its assignments go from scientific analysis and interpretation of dig data to the dissemination of archaeological knowledge. 

As a sponsor of INRAP since 2016, Bouygues Travaux Publics in particular provides financial backing for organising the National Archaeology Days but also for publishing original, fun and educational editorial contents or exceptionally for opening up digs to the public. Such was the case, for example, on the Nîmes & Montpellier Bypass scheme where, in 2014, the collection of "Tip Taupe" game-booklets was inaugurated. This sponsorship is in line with Bouygues Travaux Publics’ desire to commit itself sustainably to scientific culture and the preservation of heritage.