LASCAUX CAVE

l’information Lascaux (Lascaux Caves) is the setting of a

complex of caves in southwestern France famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings.

They contain some of the best-known Upper Paleolithic art. These paintings are estimated to be 17,300 years old.

They primarily consist of images of large animals, most of which are known from fossil evidence to have lived in the area at the time.

L’information In the late summer of 1940, the entrance to Lascaux Cave

was discovered by 18-year-old Marcel Ravidat. Ravidat returned to the scene with three friends, Jacques Marsal, Georges Agnel, and Simon Coencas, and entered the cave via a long shaft. The four teenagers discovered that the cave walls were covered with depictions of animals. 

The cave complex was opened to the public in 1948. By 1955, the carbon dioxide produced by 1,200 visitors per day had visibly damaged the paintings.

The cave was closed and the paintings were restored to their original state. Rooms in the cave include The Hall of the Bulls, the Passageway, the Shaft, the Nave, the Apse, and the Chamber of Felines.

Les chevaux

15000 BC

Les animaux et les mains

Le cave