Fall 2015 Intern
Sometime over 30 thousand years ago,
prehistoric humans found their way to a limestone cave in the Ardèche region of
southern France. Here they drew more than one thousand images in what is
believed to be the oldest cave art in the world. Around 20 thousand years ago, a rockfall covered the
entrance and the cave remained undisturbed until December of 1994, when Eliette
Brunel Deschamps, Christian Hillaire and Jean-Marie Chauvet discovered the
cave while spelunking. Archaeologists soon rushed to examine and protect the
cave.
The drawings display artistic
skills previously unseen in art from that period, such as use of shading, paint
made of charcoal or red ocher used with engraving, and anatomically correct
images. In a virtual
tour of the caves, you can see how the prehistoric artists used the shape
of the cave to provide the illusion of three-dimensionality. Some of the
different types of animals depicted include ones dangerous for prehistoric
humans to observe—mammoths, bears, lions, rhinos, bison and aurochs.
The rockfall that blocked humans
out also blocked animals in. Some of the bones found include cave bears,
wolves, ibex, small reptiles and bats. These remains make up some of the four
thousand remains that have been inventoried in the caves, which also include
prehistoric plant life and human footprints.
As a way to share this treasure
with the world, hundreds of people spent eight years and over $50 million to
create a 3D model of the cave for a replica built 1.5
miles away at Vallon-Pont d’Arc. The replica, which opened in April 2015, is
housed in a concrete hanger and replicates the interior of the caves down to
the temperature. The interior of the cave is replicated by concrete layered
over a metal scaffold, with stalactites and stalagmites made of resin. The drawings
were created using images projected onto the walls as a guide for artists to
replicate.
For those of us who cannot travel
to France, the online tour will have to suffice, but those who can see the
replica of the Chauvet caves will be able to experience the world of our
prehistoric ancestors through the art they created, which could have been lost
to time if not for a lucky rockfall 20 thousand years ago.
Did You Know?
Never heard of an auroch
before? Aurochs are an extinct form of cattle that stood 6.5 feet tall, weighed
around 2,200 pounds and were known for having a temper “akin to a tetchy
rhinoceros.”
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