The Cave Art Paintings of the Lascaux Cave

Lascaux is famous for its Palaeolithic cave paintings, found in a complex of caves in the Dordogne region of southwestern France, because of their ... Follow@BradshawFND Tweet   SiteMap BradshawFoundation LatestNews WorldRockArt RockArtNetwork JourneyofMankind iShop Contact TheCavePaintingsoftheLascauxCave TheLascauxCavePaintings IncollaborationwithNoëlCoye,Conservateurdupatrimoine,MinistèredelaCultureetdelaCommunication,France. Follow@BradshawFND Tweet Follow@BradshawFND Tweet RedCow&FirstChineseHorse ©N.Aujoulat(2003)©MCC-CNP LascauxisfamousforitsPalaeolithiccavepaintings,foundinacomplexofcavesintheDordogneregionofsouthwesternFrance,becauseoftheirexceptionalquality,size,sophisticationandantiquity.Estimatedtobeupto20,000yearsold,thepaintingsconsistprimarilyoflargeanimals,oncenativetotheregion.LascauxislocatedintheVézèreValleywheremanyotherdecoratedcaveshavebeenfoundsincethebeginningofthe20thcentury(forexampleLesCombarellesandFont-de-Gaumein1901,Bernifalin1902).Lascauxisacomplexcavewithseveralareas(HalloftheBulls,Passagegallery)Itwasdiscoveredon12September1940andgivenstatutoryhistoricmonumentprotectionindecemberofthesameyear.In1979,severaldecoratedcavesoftheVézèreValley-includingtheLascauxcave-wereaddedtotheUNESCOWorldHeritageSiteslist.Butthesehauntinglybeautifulprehistoriccavepaintingsareinperil.Recently,inParis,over200archaeologists,anthropologistsandotherscientistsgatheredforanunprecedentedsymposiumtodiscusstheplightofthepricelesstreasuresofLascaux,andtofindasolutiontopreservethemforthefuture.TheSymposiumtookplaceundertheaegisofFrance'sMinistryofCultureandCommunication,andpresidedoverbyDr.JeanClottes. Sectionshavebeenidentifiedinthecave;theGreatHalloftheBulls,theLateralPassage,theShaftoftheDeadMan,theChamberofEngravings,thePaintedGallery,andtheChamberofFelines.Thecavecontainsnearly2,000figures,whichcanbegroupedintothreemaincategories-animals,humanfiguresandabstractsigns.Mostofthemajorimageshavebeenpaintedontothewallsusingmineralpigmentsalthoughsomedesignshavealsobeenincisedintothestone. GreatBlackBull ©N.Aujoulat(2003)©MCC-CNP Oftheanimals,equinespredominate[364].Thereare90paintingsofstags.Alsorepresentedarecattle,bison,felines,abird,abear,arhinoceros,andahuman.Amongthemostfamousimagesarefourhuge,blackbullsoraurochsintheHalloftheBulls.Oneofthebullsis17feet(5.2m)long-thelargestanimaldiscoveredsofarincaveart. Additionally,thebullsappeartobeinmotion.Therearenoimagesofreindeer,eventhoughthatwastheprincipalsourceoffoodfortheartists.Apaintingreferredtoas'TheCrossedBison',foundinthechambercalledtheNave,isoftenheldasanexampleoftheskillofthePalaeolithiccavepainters.Thecrossedhindlegsshowtheabilitytouseperspective.Sincetheyear2000,Lascauxhasbeenbesetwithafungus,variouslyblamedonanewairconditioningsystemthatwasinstalledinthecaves,theuseofhigh-poweredlights,andthepresenceoftoomanyvisitors.Asof2006,thesituationbecameevengraver-thecavesawthegrowthofblackmold.InJanuary2008,authoritiesclosedthecaveforthreemonths,eventoscientistsandpreservationists.Asingleindividualwasallowedtoenterthecavefor20minutesonceaweektomonitorclimaticconditions. LascauxCavePaintingsSymposium ChronicleoftheSessions Forthepastfewmonths,thescientificcommunityhasbeenupsetbythenewsofpotentialthreatsupontheconservationoftheLascauxpaintings.Followingthereplacementofthemachinehelpingwiththeclimateinsidethecave,micro-organismswouldhavepervadedtheenvironmentandnoefficientresponsewouldhavebeenfoundtoblocktheirprogress,thusthreateningtheconservationofpaintingsandengravings. PresidedbyJeanClottesandundertheaegisoftheMinistryofCultureandCommunication,thesymposiumwasorganisedinthreesessions,besidesafirstintroductoryone.Thesessionswerecentredaboutthreethemesdirectlyconnectedwiththeproblemsidentified:theenvironment(i.e.thegeological,climaticandphysical-chemicalconditionsforthebiologicaldynamicsinthecave);themicro-organisms(themicro-biologicaldynamicsthemselves)andtherelationbetweenconservationandthepublic(acentralprobleminheritagemanagement). Eachsessionincludedseveralpresentationsonthestateoftheart,followedbyadebate,forwhichexpertsfromdifferentcountriesandspecialitieswereinvited:theseofferedafirstcommentonthepresentations,beforethedebatewasopenedtoalargeraudienceofoveronehundredresearchers. HalloftheBulls ©N.Aujoulat(2003)©MCC-CNP TheseminarwasintroducedbyJeanClottes,whosetuptheframeworkofthediscussions:transparency,anopenclearandinternationaldebate,aimingatreachingusefulrecommendationsconcerningtheproblemsidentified.Itisnotsofrequentthatsuchaframeworkofdebateissetupinordertofaceproblemsandcontradictionsinheritagemanagement,somepreferringtosimplyoffer'criticisms'withoutanyalternatives,oftenadhominemandpolemic.Scienceissomethingelsealtogether,though,andthissymposiumwasademonstrationofit. MarcGauthier,thepresidentofthecave'sScientificCommittee,presentedthehistoryofresearchandtheongoingworkandprinciplesofthe25membersCommittee,whicharefocusedonclearshortandmiddletermobjectives(totreatthediseaseandtoidentifyitscauses)withtheabilitytoactfast.Afterwards,Jean-MichelGeneste,directoroftheCentreNationaldePréhistoire,presentedanoverviewofthemainphasesandeventsintheconservationofthecave,afteritsdiscoveryin1940. SmallHorses ©N.Aujoulat(2003)©MCC-CNP Globally,wethoughtthatthediscussionwasclearandquiteopen,withthepresenceofseveralresearchersthathad,inaseriousandfirmway,criticisedtheactionoftheScientificCommittee.Thisenabledtheparticipantstoidentifytheaxesofcontradiction,butalsothoseofconvergence,anaimwhichmustalwaysbethatofdebatesamongscientists. Tostartwiththeconvergences,allspeakersagreedtotheneedtogiveprioritytothetreatmentofthedisease.Theyconsideredthattheirruptionofwhiteorganisms,andlateronofblackones,weretheconsequenceofthechangeoftheacclimatisingmachine,introducedin2000(someconsideringitasthemaincause,whereasothersjudgeditasacatalyst). Asforthecontradictions,thesewerecentredfirstintheaccountoftheprocessleadingtothedecisiontochangethemachine,somewillingtoconcentratethediscussiononthispoint,beforediscussingthepossiblesolutionsforthefuture.Onewouldarguethatevenifitisalwaysimportanttoassesstheprocessesandtoidentifythepersonsresponsibleforpasterrors,toomuchtimeseemstohavebeenspentonthiswhichwouldhavebeenbetterusedonadiscussionofthefuture. Inanycase,thethreethematicsessionsenabledtheparticipantstoassessthestateoftheartandtodefineaframeofalternatives. ThesessiononthegeologicandclimaticenvironmentwasleadbyJ.DelgadoRodrigues,withthepresentationofthehydrogeologic(RolandLastennet)andclimatic(PhilipeMalaurent)contexts,aswellasthatofanexcellentvirtualmodel(DelphineLacanette).Thesepapersallowedustounderstandthattheatmosphereregenerationmachinesetupin1957neededtobereplaced,duetoitsageing,byanidenticalone,althoughintheendthiswasnotthecase.Italsobecameclearthatthesucceedingproblemsofconservationofthecave(the'whitedisease'since1955,the'greendisease'in1960,whiteorganismssince2001,soonfollowedbyblackones)werealwayscausedbypreviousanthropicactivity.ThissessionwascompletedwithapresentationontheconservationoftheAltamiracave,whichmadeitclearthattheeffortsdevotedtoLascauxhavenomatchelsewhere.Thedebatewaswidelyparticipatedinandenlivenedbytheaudience(morethanbytheinvitedexperts,includingmyself)anditendedsotospeakwithoutadistinctconclusion:whereasthespeakerscentredtheirinterventionsontheneedtoestablishamachinetorecovertheclimaticequilibriumpriorto2000,mostoftheircriticswerefocusedontheidentificationofresponsibilitiesconcerningtheerrorsmadeinthepast. Inthesecondsessionthecentralandmostproductivediscussionofthesymposiumtookplace.ItwasontheLascauxmicro-organismsandwasdirectedbyRobertKoestler.IsabellePallot-FrossardandGeneviëveOrialpresentedthemicro-biologicalcontextandthestrategieschosentocontrolit(biocidesandrepeatedactions,morethanclimaticmanagementandcleanings),whereasClaudeAlabouvettedetailedthemicrobioticecology(stressingtheaugmentationofmicro-biologicaldiversityinthezonesaffectedbyanthropicactivity).TheworkcarriedoutatLascauxwascomparedtotheeffortsofconservationofmuralpaintingsinJapan(TakeshiIshizaki).Withthisdebate,itbecameclearthat,forthehydrogeologistsandclimatologists,themainparadigmseemstobetherecoveryoftheequilibriumpriorto2000,whereasforthemicrobiologiststhisisnotpossible,theaimbeingthesearchforanewequilibrium.Theacceptanceoftheirreversibilityofchanges,aswellasoftheaugmentationofdiversitywitheachhumaninterventioninsidethecave,werethebasicideasofthisdiscussion,withaproposaltolookintoareaslessaffectedbytheworks,astheShaft,forspecieslonggoneelsewherethatmightthusbere-introduced.Thecontradictionbetweenstrategiestodiminish(assuggestedinthefirstsession,butalsobysomeinthesecondone)ortomonitorthemicro-biologicalactivity(asproposedinthesecondsession)thusbecametheheartofthediscussion. Thelastsession,ontheconservationofthepaintedcavesandtheirwiderknowledgebythepublic,introducedbyapresentationontheCantabriancavesandtheriskstheyface(byRobertoOntañonPeredo),notonlystressedthetechnicaldimensionoftheissue,butalsotheexemplarycharacteroftheSymposium.Itisquiteencouragingtoseethat,confrontedwithacomplexandhighlyvisiblesituation,thescientificcommunityiscapableofexpressingitselfinaforum,withouthidingitsdifferencesbutalsowithoutstickingtotheseasanaiminthemselves.Thepresenceofvariousexperts,Frenchornot,workinginFrenchandotherpaintedcaves,wasparticularlypositive. Theoverallconclusionsofthesetwodaysarethat,firstofall,theywereanexemplaryexerciseoftransparentscientificseriousness,withthepresenceofthepeoplecurrentlyinchargeofthescientificmanagementofthecaveandoftheiracademicopponents,inacontextveryefficientlycoordinatedbyJeanClottes.Thisisanexamplewhichunfortunatelyisnotsofrequenttofindinotherinternationalcontexts.Lascauxbeingasiteofmajorculturalrelevance,itisverypositivethattheSymposiumshouldhavebeenparticipatedinbythescholarstrulyinterestedinitssafeguarding,whicheveropinionstheymightentertain.Thepresenceofpeopleheadingmanyinternationalorganisations,fromICCROM(MounirBouchenaki,whorightlyconsideredthesymposiumasanexemplaryevent)toUNESCO'sWorldHeritageCommittee,reflectedsuchareality.Onewishesthat,followingthissymposium,afutureScientificCommittee(alreadyannouncedbytheMinisterofCulture)shouldenlargethediversityoftheexpertise(inparticulargeology)andactmainlywiththeaimtofindnewequilibriumsbaseduponthegrowingdiversityoflife(assuggestedbythemicrobiologists)ratherthanattempttolimitthemicro-biologicdiversityandtorecoveralonglostecologicequilibrium.Itisalsodesirablethattheinternationalorganismsthatwerepresentmightcontributeinanactivewayforthispurpose. LuizOOSTERBEEK SecrétaireGénéraldel’UISPP(UnionInternationaledesSciencesPréhistoriquesetProtohistoriques/SecretaryGeneralofIUPPS(InternationalUnionofPrehistoricandProtohistoricSciences) Conclusions LascauxCavePaintingsSymposium LargeBlackStag ©N.Aujoulat(2003)©MCC-CNP TheSymposium"Lascauxandpreservationissuesinasubterraneanenvironment"hasgeneratedhugeinterest,includinginthepress:outofthe267registeredparticipants,21werejournalists.Ithasalsosparkedinternationalinterest:otherthanFrance,seventeencountriesfromallcontinentswererepresented(SouthAfrica,Germany,Australia,Bermuda,Brazil,IvoryCoast,Spain,UnitedStates,Italy,Japan,Morocco,NewZealand,Portugal,CzechRepublic,UnitedKingdom,Switzerland,Zambia). TheSymposiumpurportedtobe"open",sinceanyonecouldregisteron-lineandfreelyparticipateiftheywantedto.Thesheernumberanddiversityofparticipantsshowthatitwastrulyagreatsuccess.Thesessions(includingdebates)wereperfectlybilingual(EnglishandFrench),thankstosimultaneoustranslation. Afterthesetwoparticularlyrichanddensedays,mysynthesiswillfocusonthreemainpoints:thedevelopmentoftheSymposium;theofficialannouncementsandmainresults;recommendationsforthefuture. TheDevelopmentoftheSymposium LascauxCavePaintingsSymposium Firstly,IwouldlikethePresidentsofthesessionsandtheparticipantstoexcusemystringencyregardingtheschedule.Ithadtobestrictandassuchitwas.Contrarytowhathappensinmostmeetingsofthistype,webeganeachsessionrightontimeandallcommunicationsremainedwithinthegiventimeframe.Thiswasanecessaryconditionsothatthedebatescouldlastjustaslongasthepresentations,whetherquestionswereaskedonalltopicsordiverseopinionsweresharedanddiscussionthenfollowed.Iwouldliketothankwholeheartedlyallparticipantsfortheirconsentedefforts.Infact,eachpersontookitsomuchtoheartnottoexceedtheirhalfhourofcommunicationthatwewereleftwithextratime(approximatelyonehourandahalfintotal)forthedebates... ThirdChineseHorse ©N.Aujoulat(2003)©MCC-CNP Thepresentations,whichcanbeviewedon-line,werefocusedonthemainelementsofthepreservationofLascauxandthedecoratedcaves,aswellasonthehistoryofLascaux,theproblemsfaced,measurestakenandthecurrentconditionofthecave.Ourcolleaguesfromothercountries,eitherspeakers(Japan,Spain),orexpertspecialguests(SouthAfrica,Germany,Australia,UnitedStates,Italy,Japan,NewZealand,Portugal,CzechRepublic),broughtvaluedcomparisonsandsheddifferentlightonthetopic.Infact,ifthepreservationofcaveartisasharedissueandiftherearesomanythreatstothisessentialheritage,therearemanyproblemsandsolutionsandwecanonlylearnfromeachother. ThemanyaccountsgivenduringandaftertheSymposiumprovethatthehighqualityofcommunication,alongwiththefreedomandrichnessofthedebateswererecognizedandappreciated.Thismeetingthereforesatisfieditsobjective.AllthefactsregardingLascauxwereclearlypresented,includingthemistakesmade.Thedebateswentasplanned,withoutconcessionorstonewalling,incompletetransparency,whetheritwaswiththedecision-makingprocess,theeventswhichoccurred,analysescarriedout,obstaclesordifficultiesfacedorperspectivesforthefuture. Ifitisobviousthatnoteverythinghasbeensettled,thatthesicknessisnotyetcuredandthattheSymposiumcouldnotbringamiraclecure,wecanonlyhopethatthemisunderstandingswhichmayhaveexistedabouttheeventsofthelastfewyearswillbeclearedupforthosewhoreallycareaboutonething:savingLascaux. AnnouncementsandResultsObtained LascauxCavePaintingsSymposium EitheratthebeginningoforduringtheSymposium,MrsChristineAlbanel,MinisterforCultureandCommunication,andMr.MichelClément,DirectorofArchitectureandHeritage,madeseveralveryinteresting,concreteannouncementsregardingLascaux.Duringthecommunications,particularlythosefromDrs.MarcGauthierandJean-MichelGeneste,wealsofoundoutthatcertaininterestingdecisionshadbeenmadeandthatprojectswereunderway. BacktoBackBison ©N.Aujoulat(2003)©MCC-CNP Thefirstoftheseannouncements,whichsetthescene,wasthat-unsurprisingly...-LascauxisconsideredbytheMinisterforCultureasamajorpriority,insuchawaythatmoneyisnoobjectforresearchandpreservation.Suchanannouncementissorare,inwhatevercountry,thatitmustbehighlighted. ThesecondconcernstheScientificCommitteeofLascaux,whosemissionwillfinishinafewmonths.AtributewasgiventoitsPresident,MarcGauthier,andtoitsmemberswhohavebeenstrivingtosavethecaveunderverydifficultcircumstances.Thiscommittee,whereinterdisciplinarityshouldbetherule,willbere-establishedinMay2009.Itwillbeevenmoreopen,morespecializedandmoreindependent.Inparticular,itwillbeseparatedfromthesteeringCommitteemadeupofadministrators,naturallywhilemaintainingcommunicationbetweenthetwosothatnoefficiencyislost. Alaboratory-cavewillbeselected,amongseveralpossibilitiesintheDordogneareaofFrance,inconditionsveryclosetothoseofLascaux.Itwillbeusedforexperimentationsinnaturalundergroundsettings;theseareessentialbutcannotbecarriedoutinthedecoratedcavewithoutrisk.TheresultsoftheseprocedureswillbelargelyusedtotryandsolvetheproblemsfacedatLascaux. TheLascauxcaveitselfhasbeenrecreatedin3D.Thesimulatorre-createsitsconditions,itsmorphologyaswellasitsclimatology;theproblemscanthereforebesortedout.Itisobviousthatthesetwomethods(laboratory-caveandsimulator)combinedwillgreatlyhelpinunderstandingthephenomenaandinmakingdecisions. TheSceneoftheDeadMan ©N.Aujoulat(2003)©MCC-CNP Lastbutnotleast,thelong-awaited"sanctuarisation"oftheLascauxhillwillfinallybeachieved.Thereplica(LascauxII)shouldjointhevalleyandroadsandcarparksshoulddisappearfromthehill.Thisisafull-scaleproject,forwhichtherewillbeacollaborationwiththelocalcommunities(CommuneandDépartement). AllspecificationsabouttheconditionofLascauxhavebeencommunicated.MarcGauthiertoldusthat14paintedorengravedanimals(outofaround915)havebeenaffectedbytheblackmarks,intheright-handsideofthecave.Thisisstilltoomanyandanyadverseeffectontheworksofartinthecave,whateveritmaybe,issorelyfeltbythosewholoveit,i.e.allofus.However,wearefarfromthecataclysmicannouncementswemayhaveheardorread.No,thefrescosofLascauxarenot"condemned"andthecaveisnotin"dangerofdeath"! Finally,communicationsanddiscussionshaveenabledustoexperiencefirsthandthecomplexityoftheproblemsfaced,alongwith-inthisfragileandvulnerablesetting-thedifficultyofworkconditionsanddecisionstobemade,ofteninanemergency. Thespecialistshaveinsistedonthefollowingpoints Wehaveneverhadastaticandstableequilibrium,onthecontrarytherehavealwaysbeenchangesincertainclimaticparameters,whichcouldaffectthepreservationofworksofartorwallsurfaces Inthisrespect,severalspecialistshaveshownwithoutashadowofadoubtthattheevolutionoftheclimatesincethebeginningofthe'80'sbroughtaboutthehaltofcertainconvectionphenomena,aninversionoftemperaturesandairstagnationwhichwasnotknownofbeforehand.Thismeansthatanydecisionmaderegardingclimaticassistancemusttaketheseobservationsintoaccount,andthatconsequentlytheformerclimaticassistanceprinciplesmustbemodified Atypicaltorrentialrainwasrecordedatthebeginningofthe2000s.Therestorationworkundertaken-attheworstpossibletime-andtheerrorsmadeactedlikeacatalystandtriggeredmicro-organicproliferations,theconsequencesofwhicharestillbeingexperienced Itwouldbeimpossibletoreturntoahypotheticaloriginalcondition RecommendationsfortheFuture? LascauxCavePaintingsSymposium HorseFallingBackwards ©N.Aujoulat(2003)©MCC-CNP Comparisonshaverepeatedlybeenmadewithmedicine,concerningdiseasesthatLascauxsuffersfromorhassufferedfrom.Itistruethatallthosewhoknowtheundergroundsettingwellknowthatitbehavesjustlikealivingorganism,withitsadaptationandself-regulationabilitiesoreventheabilitytoregeneratewhencertainaggressionsandchangesremainwithincertainlimits.Toreferbacktothiscomparison,itisnecessarytoadoptthemostbasicsayingusedbymedicaldoctors,thatoftheHippocratesoath,Primumnonnocere. Transposedtotheactionsinthecave,thisimpliestwomainprinciples:neverdirectlytouchfragiledecoratedwalls;runimpactstudiesbeforetheimplementationofanynewcurativepolicy.Intheright-handsideofthecave,weknowthatthesurfacesarecrumblyandthatanybrushingaction,evenwithaveryfinebrush,willleadtoalossofsubstance.Suchactionsaretobeforbiddeninthedecoratedareas,sincetheywillcauseirreversibledamageandwillhaveunpredictableresults(infestationscanoccuragain). Theimpactstudiestotesttheproposedtherapeuticmethods,rightlyrecommendedbyUNESCO,mustbetherule.Someofthemcanbeconductedinalaboratory,butthecreationofthelaboratory-cavedescribedabovewouldgreatlyfacilitatethesestudies. Microbiologistshaverepeatedlyinsistedonthefactthatsprayingbiocidecanhaveharmfulsecondaryeffects,forexampleineliminatingthemicroorganismswhichcanlimittheproliferationofharmfulmushrooms,orevenincreatingorganicelementsordetritusthatsomecanfeedon. Herearesomeexamplesofresearchthatcouldbedoneinthisfield Studyingthegenomeofthemicroorganismslivingonthewalls,whichcannowbedonewithpowerfulandquickmethods Exploringthepathofbacteriophageviruses Testingvariousradiationswhichcouldstoptheobservedproliferations,orevenreducethemelanin Amongthepracticalmeasures,ithasbeensuggested(R.-J.Koestler)tore-installtheairlock-knownastheBauerAirlock-isolatingtheright-handsideofthecavefromtheHalloftheBullsandtheAxialGallery. FriezeoftheSmallHorses ©N.Aujoulat(2003)©MCC-CNP Asalogicalfollow-uptothisSymposiumandinkeepingwithitsopenandinterdisciplinarityspirit,onecanhopethattherewillbemorecommunicationbetweenspecialistsandthatthiswillbemadeeasier,eitheronapersonalorinstitutionallevel.Thevastamountofinformationcollectedmustbecorrelated,whichpresentstheproblemofanimprovementofcollaborationsystemsbetweenspecialistsandofdatamanagement.Toavoidtherecurrenceofmisunderstandings,IsuggestahealthreportofLascauxbeestablishedeverysixmonthsoronceayear,andbemadeavailabletothepublic.Moreover,itwouldmostdefinitelybefavourabletoplanfortheorganizationofanotherSymposiuminthreeyears,soastoevaluatethesituationregardingactionswhichhavebeentakeninthemeantimeandtheirresults,whichweallhopetobepositive. Lascauxisthetragicillustrationofhumanerrors,whenfluctuatingage-oldequilibriumissuddenlybroken.Effortsmustnowbeconcentratedonthefuture,incomingoutoftheothersideofthecrisisthatbeganafewyearsagoandtofindanewclimaticandbiologicalequilibrium,neveragainthatwhichhasforalongtimeprevailedbutstillonewhichwillensurethedurabilityofthepaintingsandengravings. Goodcanresultfromsomethingbad.OurSpanishcolleagueshavetoldusthattheybenefitedfromtheprecedenceofLascaux'sproblemsinordertomakedecisionsregardingthemanagementofAltamira.Furthermore,thankstothepresenceofourcolleaguesfromothercontinents,specialistsinotherculturesandinothertypesofrockart,wehavebeenabletowidentheconclusionstobedrawnfromthiscrisistoothertypesofrockartsitesworldwide. RockartasawholeisoneofthemostimportantculturalheritageassetsinthehistoryofHumanity.Lascauxiscertainlyoneofitsjewels,butthemosthumbleofthedecoratedsitesisawitnessofancientculturalbeliefsandpractices,andthereforeitmustbeprotected.Lascauxstronglyremindsusofthereasonswhypreservationisanecessity:abovealltolimittheeffectsofhumanactivityonanydecoratedsites,andontheirsurroundingenvironment.Thatisthemainconditionfortheirsurvival. 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