Cave painting

A painted image made on a cave wall or ceiling, often using mineral pigments. Prehistoric examples preserve evidence of image-making in places used by ancient communities.

Ochre: A natural earth pigment colored by iron oxides, commonly used in prehistoric art. Its red and yellow forms supplied durable colors for many cave images.
Chauvet Cave: A decorated cave in southern France containing paintings and engravings made about 36,000 years ago. Its early animal images demonstrate the sophistication of Upper Paleolithic cave art.
Cave art stencils: Images made by placing a hand or object against a surface and applying pigment around it. Hand stencils are a distinctive technique found in caves on several continents.
Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola: A Spanish amateur archaeologist who reported the Paleolithic paintings of Altamira in 1880. His account of Altamira was initially rejected before the paintings gained acceptance.
Paleolithic religion: Beliefs and ritual practices of Paleolithic societies, inferred from archaeological evidence. Ritual interpretations have been proposed for paintings in deep or difficult-to-reach caves.
Charcoal: A black carbon-rich material produced by burning wood or other organic matter. Artists used charcoal to draw dark outlines and details on cave walls.
Lascaux: A cave in southwestern France famous for its extensive Upper Paleolithic paintings. Its vivid animal panels are among the best-known examples of cave painting.
Spray painting: A technique that deposits pigment as a dispersed mist from the mouth or a blowing tube. Some cave images show soft pigment edges consistent with pigment being blown onto the wall.
Abbé Breuil: A French priest and prehistorian known for documenting and interpreting European Paleolithic art. His early studies shaped the first major interpretations of cave paintings.
Shamanism: A broad set of religious practices involving specialists who mediate between human and spirit worlds. Some interpretations connect cave imagery with altered states and shamanic practice, though evidence remains disputed.

Linked from 22 pages