Salon Noir

cave area, Ariège, France

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July 13, 2026

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The Salon Noir is a cave area in Ariège, France, renowned for its prehistoric wall paintings. These artworks are characteristic of the Magdalenian Period of Paleolithic art, dating back approximately 17,000 to 11,000 years ago.1

Radiocarbon dating indicates that the paintings were created in at least two phases, around 14,000 and 13,000 years ago. The Salon Noir specifically features panels with drawings of bison and horses, executed in an outline style. The cave also contains engravings of fish and a bison on its clay floor. A facsimile of the Salon Noir is available at the nearby Park of Prehistoric Art.1

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Niaux
…distinct areas, among them the Salon Noir, which contains panels showing bison and horses drawn in outline. The cave is also important for its surviving drawings engraved into the clay floor, including fish and a bison. Another gallery, known as the Réseau Clastres, although connected to Niaux, actually constitutes a…
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…distinct areas, among them the Salon Noir, which contains panels showing bison and horses drawn in outline. The cave is also important for its surviving drawings engraved into the clay floor, including fish and a bison. Another gallery, known as the Réseau Clastres, although connected to Niaux, actually constitutes a…
Read More