Lascaux Cave - World History Encyclopedia

Lascaux Cave is a Palaeolithic cave situated in southwestern France, near the village of Montignac in the Dordogne region, which houses some ... LascauxCave Definition byEmmaGroeneveld publishedon06September2016 Podcast Listentothisarticle,narratedbyRicharddeMan Availableinotherlanguages:French,Portuguese,Turkish,Spanish PaintingofaHorse,LascauxCaveSevela.p(PublicDomain) LascauxCaveisaPalaeolithiccavesituatedinsouthwesternFrance,nearthevillageofMontignacintheDordogneregion,whichhousessomeofthemostfamousexamplesofprehistoriccavepaintings.Closeto600paintings–mostlyofanimals-dottheinteriorwallsofthecaveinimpressivecompositions.Horsesarethemostnumerous,butdeer,aurochs,ibex,bison,andevensomefelinescanalsobefound.Besidesthesepaintings,whichrepresentmostofthemajorimages,therearealsoaround1400engravingsofasimilarorder.Theart,datedtoc.17,000–c.15,000BCE,fallswithintheUpperPalaeolithicperiodandwascreatedbytheclearlyskilledhandsofhumanslivingintheareaatthattime.Theregionseemstobeahotspot;manybeautifullydecoratedcaveshavebeendiscoveredthere.TheexactmeaningofthepaintingsatLascauxoranyoftheothersitesisstillsubjecttodiscussion,buttheprevailingviewattachesaritualisticorevenspiritualcomponenttothem,hintingatthesophisticationoftheircreators.LascauxwasaddedtotheUNESCOWorldHeritageSiteslistin1979,alongwithotherprehistoricsitesinitsproximity. Thediscovery On12September1940CEfourboysexaminedthefoxholedownwhichtheirdoghadfallenonthehillofLascaux.Afterwideningtheentrance,MarcelRavidatwasthefirstonetoslideallthewaytothebottom,histhreefriendsfollowingafterhim.Afterconstructingamakeshiftlamptolighttheirway,theyfoundawidervarietyofanimalsthanexpected;intheAxialGallerytheyfirstencounteredthedepictionsonthewalls.Thefollowingdaytheyreturned,betterpreparedthistime,andexploreddeeperpartsofthecave.Theboys,inaweofwhattheyhadfound,toldtheirteacher,afterwhichtheprocesstowardsexcavatingthecavewassetinmotion.By1948CEthecavewasreadytobeopenedtothepublic. RemoveAds Advertisement Occupationbyhumans AroundthetimeLascauxcavewasdecorated(c.17,000–c.15,000BCE),anatomicallymodernhumans(homosapiens)hadbeenwellathomeinEuropeforagoodwhilealready,sinceatleast40,000BCE.Followingthearchaeologicalrecord,theyseemtohavebeenabundantlypresentintheregionbetweensoutheasternFranceandtheCantabrianMountainsinthenorthofSpain,whichincludesLascaux.Thecaveitselfshowsonlytemporaryoccupation,probablylinkedtoactivitiesrelatedtocreatingtheart.However,itispossiblethatthefirstcoupleofmetresoftheentrancevestibuleofthecave–thespacethedaylightcouldstillreach-mighthavebeeninhabited. TheartatLascauxwasbothpaintedon&engravedintotheunevenwallsofthecave,theartistsworkingwiththeedges&curvesofthewallstoenhancetheircompositions. Fromthefindsoriginatingfromthecave,weknowthatthedeeperpartsofthecavewerelitbysandstonelampsthatusedanimalfatasfuel,aswellasbyfireplaces.Here,theartistsworkedinwhatmusthavebeensmokyconditions,usingmineralsaspigmentsfortheirimages.Reds,yellows,andblacksarethepredominantcolours.Redwasprovidedbyhematite,eitherraworasfoundwithinredclayandochre;yellowbyironoxyhydroxides;andblackeitherbycharcoalormanganeseoxides.Thepigmentscouldbepreparedbygrinding,mixing,orheating,afterwhichtheyweretransferredontothecavewalls.Paintingtechniquesincludedrawingwithfingersorcharcoal,applyingpigmentwith'brushes'madeofhairormoss,andblowingthepigmentonastencilordirectlyontothewallwith,forinstance,ahollowbone. RemoveAds Advertisement YouTube FollowusonYoutube! ThecatchisthattherearenoknowndepositsofthespecificmanganeseoxidesfoundatLascauxanywhereintheareasurroundingthecave.Theclosestknownsourceissome250kilometresaway,inthecentralPyrenees,whichmightpointtoatradeorsupplyroute.Itwasnotuncommonforhumanslivingaroundthattimetosourcetheirmaterialsabitfurtherafield,tensofkilometresaway,butthedistanceinquestionheremayindicatethattheLascauxartistsputinasuperbamountofeffort. CavePaintinginLascauxProfsaxx(CCBY-NC-SA) Besidesthepaintings,manytoolswerefoundatLascaux.Amongthesearemanyflinttools,someofwhichdisplaysignsofbeingusedspecificallyforcarvingengravingsintothewalls.Bonetoolswerealsopresent.ThepigmentsusedatLascauxcontaintracesofreindeerantler,mostlikelyintroducedeitherbecauseantlerwascarvedrightnexttothepigmentsorbecauseitwasusedtomixthepigmentsintowater.Theremainsofshellfishshells,someofthempierced,tieinwellwithotherevidenceofpersonaladornmentfoundamonghumanslivinginEuropeduringtheUpperPalaeolithic. LoveHistory? Signupforourfreeweeklyemailnewsletter! Theart TheartatLascauxwasbothpaintedonandengravedintotheunevenwallsofthecave,theartistsworkingwiththeedgesandcurvesofthewallstoenhancetheircompositions.Theresultingimpressivedisplaysdepictmainlyanimals,butalsoasignificantamountofabstractsymbols,andevenahuman.Oftheanimals,horsesdominatetheimagery,followedbydeerandaurochs,andthenibexandbison.Afewcarnivores,suchaslionsandbears,arealsopresent.ThearchaeologicalrecordoftheareashowsthatthedepictedanimalsreflectthefaunathatwasknowntothesePalaeolithichumans. Theentranceofthecaveleadsawayfromthedaylightandstraightintothemainchamberofthecave,theHalloftheBulls.Aptlynamed,thisspacecontainsmostlyaurochs,anowextincttypeoflargecattle.Inarounddance,fourlargebullstowerabovefleeinghorsesanddeer,thereliefofthewallsservingtoemphasisecertainpartsofthepaintings.Theanimalsareshowninside-view,butwiththeirhornsturned,givingthepaintingsalivelinessindicativeofgreatskill.Sofar,theseanimalsareeasilyidentifiable,butothersarelessclear-cut.See,forinstance,theseeminglypregnanthorsewithwhatlookslikeonehornonitshead.Anothermysteriousfigureisdepictedwithpantherskin,adeer'stail,abison'shump,twohorns,andamalemember.Creativemindshavesuggesteditmaybeasorcererorwizard,butwhatitreallyrepresentsishardtodetermine. RemoveAds Advertisement WoundedBull,Man&Bird,LascauxCavePeter80(CCBY-SA) BeyondtheHalloftheBullsliestheAxialGallery,adead-endpassage,butaspectacularoneatthat.Ithasbeendubbedthe'SistineChapelofPrehistory,'asitsceilingishometoseveraleye-catchingcompositions.Redaurochsstandwiththeirheadsformingacircle,whilethemainfiguresoftheGallerystandoppositeoneanother:amightyblackbullononeside,afemaleaurochsontheother,seeminglyjumpingontosomesortoflatticethathasbeendrawnunderneathherhooves.Therearehorsesinmanyshapes,includingoneknownasthe'Chinesehorse,'withitshoovesdepictedslightlytotheback,demonstratingauseofperspectivefaraheadofitstime.Towardsthebackofthepassage,ahorsegallopswithitsmaneblowinginthewindwhileitscompanionfallsoverwithlegsintheair. AsecondexitfromtheHalloftheBullsleadstothePassage,whichhousesmostlyengravingsbutalsosomepaintingsofalargevarietyofanimals.IntheNave,followingthePassage,alargeblackbullaswellastwobisonsstandoutbecauseoftheirwildpower,seeminglyfleeing.Opposite,afreezeshowsfivedeerwhoappeartobeswimming.AftertheNave,theChamberofFelinesthrowssomepredatorsintothemix,withengravingsoflionsdominatingtheroom.Inanotherbranchofthecave,theroomknownastheShaftaddssomemorematerialfordiscussion.Here,besidesthewoundedbisonwithitsintestinessprawlingoutfromitsgut,areawoollyrhinoceros,abirdonwhatmightbeastick,andanakedmanwithanerectmember.Thisimageclearlytellsastory,althoughitishardtobecertainexactlywhatthatstorymightbe. LascauxIICaveTodayBayesAhmed(CCBY) Thecavetoday Theoriginalcavewasclosedtothepublicin1963CEafteritbecameclearthatthemanyvisitorscaused,amongothers,thegrowthofalgaeonthecavewalls,dealingirreparabledamagetothepaintings.Despitetheclosure,fungihavespreadwithinthecave,andeffortstocontroltheseissuesandprotecttheartareongoing.ThoselookingforanalternativeexperiencecanvisitLascauxII,areplicaoftheGreatHalloftheBullsandthePaintedGallerysections,whichwasopenedin1983CEandislocatedatamere200metresfromtheoriginalcave. RemoveAds Advertisement Didyoulikethisdefinition? RelatedContent Books CiteThisWork License EditorialReview Thisarticlehasbeenreviewedforaccuracy,reliabilityandadherencetoacademicstandardspriortopublication. RemoveAds Advertisement Bibliography LascauxOfficialWebsiteAccessed1Dec2016. UNESCOWorldHeritageSitesWebsite:PrehistoricSitesandDecoratedCavesoftheVézèreValleyAccessed1Dec2016. Desdemaines-Hugon,C.Stepping-Stones.YaleUniversityPress,2012. Aubarbier,J.L.PathsofPrehistoryinPerigord.EDITIONSOUEST-FRANCE,1999. Bastian,F.andAlabouvette,C."Lightsandshadowsontheconservationofarockartcave:ThecaseofLascauxCave."InternationalJournalofSpeleology,38(1)(Bologna,2009),pp.55-60. Chadefaux,C.etal."MultianalyticalstudyofPalaeolithicreindeerantler.DiscoveryofantlertracesinLascauxpigmentsbyTEM."Archaeometry,50(Paris,2008),pp.516-534. Chalmin,E.,Vignaud,C.,andSalomon,H."DiscoveryofUnusualMineralsinPaleolithicBlackPigmentsfromLascaux(France)andEkain(Spain)."AppliedPhysicsA,83(2006),pp.213-218. Translations Wewantpeopleallovertheworldtolearnabouthistory.Helpusandtranslatethisdefinitionintoanotherlanguage!Sofar,wehavetranslateditto:French,Portuguese,Turkish,Spanish AbouttheAuthor EmmaGroeneveld EmmahasstudiedHistory;AncientHistory.DuringherMaster'sshefocusedonHerodotusaswellasthejuicypoliticsofancientcourts,butmorerecentlyshehasbeenimmersingherselfineverythingprehistoric. RelatedContent Filters: All  Definitions120 Articles54 Images92 Videos20 Collections12 TeachingMaterials1 Definition Altamira AltamiraisaPaleolithiccavelocatedinSantillanadelMar(Cantabria... Definition ChauvetCave TheChauvetCave(alsoknownastheChauvet-Pont-d'ArcCave)is... Definition StoneAge Fromthedawnofourspeciestothepresentday,stone-madeartefacts... Article TheMeaningofEuropeanUpperPaleolithicRockArt Rockart(alsoknownasparietalart)isanumbrellatermwhich... Article StoneAgeTools AstheStoneAgecoversaround99%ofourhumantechnologicalhistory... Image CavePaintingintheAltamiraCave BisondepictedattheCaveofAltamirainCantabria,Spain,dated... 12345678910Next›Last» FreefortheWorld,SupportedbyYou WorldHistoryEncyclopediaisanon-profitorganization.Foronly$5permonthyoucanbecomeamemberandsupportourmissiontoengagepeoplewithculturalheritageandtoimprovehistoryeducationworldwide. BecomeaMember  Donate RecommendedBooks Stepping-Stones:AJourneythroughtheIceAgeCavesoftheDordogne WrittenbyDesdemaines-Hugon,Christine&Tattersall,Ian,publishedbyYaleUniversityPress(2012) $28.00 TheLascauxCavePaintings WrittenbyWindels,Fernand,publishedbyHassellStreetPress(2021) $18.09 CaveofLascaux:TheCaveofPrehistoricWallPaintings WrittenbyBurnham,Brad,publishedbyPowerkidsPr(2003) $25.60 TheCompleteIllustratedHistoryofWorldArchaeology:ARemarkable... WrittenbyBahn,Paul,publishedbyLorenzBooks(2013) $19.99 DiscoveryintheCave WrittenbyDubowski,Mark&Barnard,Bryn,publishedbyRandomHouseBooksforYoungReaders(2010) $4.99   CiteThisWork APAStyle Groeneveld,E.(2016,September06).LascauxCave. WorldHistoryEncyclopedia.Retrievedfromhttps://www.worldhistory.org/Lascaux_Cave/ ChicagoStyle Groeneveld,Emma."LascauxCave." WorldHistoryEncyclopedia.LastmodifiedSeptember06,2016. https://www.worldhistory.org/Lascaux_Cave/. MLAStyle Groeneveld,Emma."LascauxCave." WorldHistoryEncyclopedia.WorldHistoryEncyclopedia,06Sep2016.Web.05Sep2022. License&Copyright SubmittedbyEmmaGroeneveld,publishedon06September2016.Thecopyrightholderhaspublishedthiscontentunderthefollowinglicense:CreativeCommonsAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike.Thislicenseletsothersremix,tweak,andbuilduponthiscontentnon-commercially,aslongastheycredittheauthorandlicensetheirnewcreationsundertheidenticalterms.WhenrepublishingonthewebahyperlinkbacktotheoriginalcontentsourceURLmustbeincluded.Pleasenotethatcontentlinkedfromthispagemayhavedifferentlicensingterms. RemoveAds Advertisement AddEventTimeline VisualTimeline c.2600000 BCE-c.12000 BCE ThePleistoceneepoch,rangingfromc.2,6millionyearsagountilc.12,000yearsago.Itischaracterisedbyrepeatedcyclesofglacialsandinterglacials. c.2600000 BCE-c.12000 BCE ThePalaeolithic(orOldStoneAge)period,rangingfromc.2,6millionyearsagountilc.12,000yearsago. c.33000 BCE-c.30000 BCE AgeofthecavepaintingsinChauvetCave,France. c.20000 BCE CavepaintingflourishesinSpainandFrance,themostfamousbeingtheCaveofLascauxinFrance. c.17000 BCE-15000 BCE Lascauxcavepaintings. c.16000 BCE-c.13000 BCE LascauxCave:UpperPaleolithicoccupations. 12Sep1940 CE LascauxCaveisdiscovered. RemoveAds Advertisement FreeNewsletter Ourlatestarticlesdeliveredtoyourinbox,onceaweek: Areyoua...? HistoryEnthusiast Teacher Student Librarian PartnerPromotion RemoveAds Advertisement SupportUs Weareanon-profitorganization. Ourmissionistoengagepeoplewithculturalheritageandtoimprovehistoryeducationworldwide.PleasesupportWorldHistoryEncyclopediaFoundation.Thankyou! Donate RemoveAds Advertisement