Lascaux
Sign in to saveLascaux ( , ; , "Lascaux Cave") is a network of caves near the village of Montignac, in the department of Dordogne in southwestern France. Over 600 parietal wall paintings cover the interior walls and ceilings of the cave. The paintings represent primarily large animals, typical local contemporary fauna that correspond with the fossil record of the Upper Paleolithic in the area. They are the combined effort of many generations. With continued debate, the age of the paintings is now usually estimated at 17,000 to 22,000 years (early Magdalenian). Because of the outstanding prehistoric art in th
AI overview
Lascaux is a cave system in southwestern France containing over 600 wall and ceiling paintings of large animals dating back approximately 17,000 to 22,000 years, created by multiple generations during the early Magdalenian period. The paintings are significant because they represent outstanding examples of prehistoric art and depict animals that lived in the region during the Upper Paleolithic era, as confirmed by fossil records.
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Key facts
- UNESCO World Heritage Site.WHS
- Lascaux
- UNESCO World Heritage Site.image
- Lascaux painting.jpg
- UNESCO World Heritage Site.caption
- Depiction of aurochs, horses and deer
- UNESCO World Heritage Site.Part_of
- Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley
- UNESCO World Heritage Site.Location
- Montignac, France
- UNESCO World Heritage Site.Criteria
- Cultural: i, iii
- UNESCO World Heritage Site.ID
- 85-011
- UNESCO World Heritage Site.Year
- 1979
- UNESCO World Heritage Site.locmapin
- France Dordogne#France
- UNESCO World Heritage Site.map_caption
- Location in the Dordogne
- UNESCO World Heritage Site.relief
- 1
- Cave.name
Article
15 sectionsContents
- History since rediscovery
- Replicas
- Lascaux II
- Lascaux III
- Lascaux IV
- Geographic setting
- Images
- Parietal representation
- Interpretation
- Threats
- In popular culture
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Lascaux ( , ; , "Lascaux Cave") is a network of caves near the village of Montignac, in the department of Dordogne in southwestern France. Over 600 parietal wall paintings cover the interior walls and ceilings of the cave. The paintings represent primarily large animals, typical local contemporary fauna that correspond with the fossil record of the Upper Paleolithic in the area. They are the combined effort of many generations. With continued debate, the age of the paintings is now usually estimated at 17,000 to 22,000 years (early Magdalenian). Because of the outstanding prehistoric art in the cave, Lascaux was inducted into the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979, as an element of the Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley.
The original caves have been closed to the public since 1963, as their condition was quickly deteriorating, but there are now a number of replicas.