- Also called:
- Lascaux Grotto
- French:
- Grotte de Lascaux
Lascaux
-
What is the Lascaux cave?
The Lascaux cave, located near Montignac, in Dordogne, France, contains some of the most outstanding displays of prehistoric art discovered. Discovered in September 1940, it holds approximately 600 painted and drawn animals and symbols, along with nearly 1,500 engravings. The paintings utilize shades of red, black, brown, and yellow on a light background.
The cave consists of a main cavern and several steep galleries, with paintings in areas that suggest scaffolding was used to reach high walls and the ceiling. Among the most remarkable images are aurochs, deer, horses, bison, and a two-horned animal nicknamed the "unicorn." The purpose of the paintings is debated, with some believing their function was religious rather than decorative.
The cave was closed to the public in 1963 due to deterioration caused by visitors. A partial replica, Lascaux II, was opened nearby in 1983 for public viewing.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Where is the Lascaux cave located?
The Lascaux cave, home to outstanding prehistoric art, is located near Montignac in the Vézère River valley, in Dordogne, France. Discovered in September 1940 by four teenage boys, the cave contains approximately 600 paintings and 1,500 engravings. The most spectacular examples are in the Great Hall of Bulls, which is dominated by four huge beasts measuring up to 18 feet (5.4 meters) long. Lascaux, along with two dozen other painted caves and 150 prehistoric settlements in the Vézère valley, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.
The cave was closed to the public in 1963 due to deterioration caused by visitors. A partial replica, Lascaux II, was opened nearby in 1983 for public viewing.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why is the Lascaux cave famous?
The Lascaux cave is famous because it contains one of the most outstanding displays of prehistoric art discovered in Europe. In September 1940, four boys playing in the woods near Montignac, France, found the cave, which holds Europe’s finest surviving collection of Paleolithic cave art.
Inside the cave, there are around 600 paintings and 1,500 engravings spread across linked chambers. Most images depict animals, with the most spectacular ones in the Great Hall of Bulls, where four huge beasts measure up to 18 feet long. The paintings' purpose may have been religious rather than decorative, as many are in areas difficult to view properly.
Because the humidity from visitors' breath, along with dust and pollen on their shoes, caused a noticeable deterioration of the pictures, the cave was closed in 1963. Lascaux II, a facsimile, opened in 1983 and has proved every bit as popular as the original.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What kinds of paintings and drawings can be found inside the Lascaux cave?
The Lascaux cave in France contains approximately 600 paintings and drawings and nearly 1,500 engravings. The art in the cave dates back as far as 17,000 years ago.
The paintings and drawings feature animals and symbols in various shades of red, black, brown, and yellow. Among the most remarkable pictures are huge depictions of aurochs, a two-horned animal nicknamed the "unicorn", red deer with fantastic antlers, numerous horses, the heads and necks of several stags, a series of six felines, two male bison, and a rare narrative composition. The animals in the Hall of Bulls have their heads depicted in profile but their horns portrayed from the front, an example of "twisted perspective".
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How old are the paintings in Lascaux cave, and who created them?
The paintings in the Lascaux cave in France are approximately 17,000 years old. The cave contains an estimated 600 paintings and 1,500 engravings.
The art was created during the Paleolithic period by modern humans (Homo sapiens). The cave was discovered in September 1940 by four teenage boys.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why is the Lascaux cave important for understanding prehistoric people and their art?
The Lascaux cave, located near Montignac, France, is significant because it contains one of the most outstanding displays of prehistoric art discovered. The cave features approximately 600 painted and drawn animals and symbols, along with 1,500 engravings.
The paintings, executed in shades of red, black, brown, and yellow, depict animals such as aurochs, red deer, horses, and bison. The art in Lascaux provides insights into the creative and symbolic capabilities of early humans from the Upper Paleolithic period. The purpose of the paintings is debated, but their function may have been religious rather than decorative.
5 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Lascaux, cave containing one of the most outstanding displays of prehistoric art yet discovered. Located above the Vézère River valley near Montignac, in Dordogne, France, the cave is a short distance upstream from the Eyzies-de-Tayac series of caves. Lascaux, together with some two dozen other painted caves and 150 prehistoric settlements in the Vézère valley, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.
The cave was discovered by four teenage boys in September 1940 and was first studied by the French archaeologist Henri Breuil. It consists of a main cavern (some 66 feet [20 metres] wide and 16 feet [5 metres] high) and several steep galleries. Each is magnificently decorated with engraved, drawn, and painted figures, in all some 600 painted and drawn animals and symbols and nearly 1,500 engravings. The paintings were done on a light background in various shades of red, black, brown, and yellow. In places, a scaffolding was clearly used to reach high walls and the ceiling. Among the most remarkable pictures are four huge aurochs (some 16 feet [5 metres] long), their horns portrayed in a “twisted perspective”; a curious two-horned animal (misleadingly nicknamed the “unicorn”), perhaps intended as a mythical creature; red deer with fantastic antlers; numerous horses; the heads and necks of several stags (3 feet [almost 1 metre] tall), which appear to be swimming across a river; a series of six felines; two male bison; and a rare narrative composition, at the bottom of a shaft, that has been variously interpreted as a hunting accident or as a shamanistic scene.
Despite its fame and importance, Lascaux is very poorly dated. Radiocarbon dating of some charcoal has given a date of 17,000 years ago, and the orthodox view is that the cave is a largely homogeneous collection of images spanning at most a few centuries before and after that date. Other specialists are certain that the cave’s art is a highly complex accumulation of artistic episodes spanning a much longer period.
The cave was in perfect condition when first discovered and was opened to the public in 1948; its floor level was quickly lowered to accommodate a walkway. The ensuing pedestrian traffic (as many as 100,000 annual visitors) and the use of artificial lighting caused the once-vivid colours to fade and brought about the growth of algae, bacteria, and crystals. A huge amount of crucial archaeological information and material was destroyed in the process. Thus, in 1963 the cave was again closed; the growth of crystals was halted, while the growth of algae and bacteria was both halted and reversed. In 2001 microorganisms, mushrooms, and bacteria were again noted in the cave, and daily monitoring of conditions continues. In 1983 a partial replica, Lascaux II, was opened nearby for public viewing.