Introduction

This blog considers Upper Paleolithic cave art at Lascaux and Chauvet.  Lascaux is located in the southwest of France in the lower Vézère River valley.  Chauvet is in the southeast of France near the Pont d'Arc, at the origin of the Ardèche gorge.

The paintings at Lascaux have been dated through radiocarbon tests of charcoal found at the site, as well as the dating of other artifacts located in the cave.  The dates have ranged from 15,500 years before the present (the Magdalenian period) to 18,790 years before the present, which would place the paintings between the Upper Solutrean and Badegoulian periods (Aujoulat, 58-59).

At Chauvet, the currently accepted dating of the parietal art is about 30,000 years before the present, which would place the paintings in the Aurignacian period (Clottes, 195).  If this dating is correct, the parietal art at Chauvet would be the earliest known to us.

The people who decorated the caves did not live there.  Evidence from contained fires within the caves indicates that they were not used to cook food, but rather were a source of both light and charcoal, which may have been used as a black pigment for drawing (Clottes, 212).

However, the black pigment used in the parietal art at Lascaux does not derive from charcoal, but from oxides of manganese.  The pigments used for the paintings were primarily powders ground from iron oxides as well as manganese oxides.  The colors in the paintings at Chauvet and Lascaux are blacks, browns, yellows, and reds.  The art found at Lascaux also includes the rare color mauve (Aujoulat, 198-199).



 

Map of Upper Paleolithic Cave Sites in the South of France

Image source: http://kmjantz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/map01-01.jpg
(accessed April 16, 2014)

Owl

Representations of the owl are extremely rare in parietal art.  This long-eared owl engraved at Chauvet may be the unique example (Clottes, 195)

Long-eared Owl, Hillaire Chamber, Chauvet
Image source: http://www.originsnet.org/upgallery1animals/images/k)chauvetowl.jpg
(accessed April 14, 2014)

Archaeologist Jean Clottes discusses parietal art at Chauvet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DjatiDgq-w

Sources

Author and page number citations within this blog refer to the following sources:

Aujoulat, Norbert.  Lascaux: Movement, Space, and Time.  New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2005.

Clottes, Jean, ed.  Return to Chauvet Cave: Excavating the Birthplace of Art: The First Full Report.  London: Thames & Hudson, 2003.

Cave Bear

This is a rarely depicted species, with only 15 portrayals at Chauvet (Clottes, 192)


Cave Bear, Brunel Chamber, Chauvet
Image source: http://www.theslideprojector.com/images/prehistoric/chauvet/cavebear.jpg
(accessed April 14, 2014)

Ibex

The ibex is less commonly pictured at Chauvet and Lascaux than many other animals.  At Chauvet, there are 20 depictions of ibex (Clottes, 188)


Ibex, Panel of the Falling Cow, Lascaux
Image source: http://donsmaps.com/images26/ibexlascauxsm.jpg
(accessed Aptil 14, 2014)