Knowra Lascaux Lascaux Lascaux is a cave complex in southwestern France containing hundreds of Upper Paleolithic paintings and engravings, mostly depicting animals. Its decorated caves were discovered in 1940 and closed to ordinary visitors in 1963 to limit damage.
Hall of the Bulls : A decorated chamber at Lascaux known for large painted aurochs, horses, and deer. Its monumental animal procession gives the cave its most famous scene.
Paleolithic cave art : Visual works made by people during the Paleolithic, including paintings, engravings, and drawings. Lascaux is among the best-known surviving examples of this broad artistic tradition.
Marcel Ravidat : A French teenager who discovered the decorated Lascaux cave with companions in 1940. His discovery brought the cave’s paintings to modern attention.
Lascaux II : A replica of Lascaux’s principal decorated chambers, opened to visitors near the original cave in 1983. It offers public access to reproductions while the original is kept closed.
Prehistoric religion : Beliefs and ritual practices inferred from archaeological evidence of prehistoric societies. Religious interpretations have been proposed for the cave’s imagery, but its meaning remains uncertain.
Axial Diverticulum : A narrow passage at Lascaux with a sequence of painted animals and signs. Its ceiling paintings extend the visual program beyond the main chamber.
Cave painting : Images made by applying pigment to the walls or ceilings of caves. Lascaux’s painted animals depend on pigment applied directly to limestone surfaces.
Abbé Henri Breuil : A French priest and prehistorian known for studying and documenting Paleolithic cave art. He examined Lascaux soon after its discovery and helped establish its scholarly importance.
Lascaux IV : The International Centre for Cave Art, opened in 2016 with a full-scale replica of Lascaux. Its detailed reproduction and exhibitions present the cave without exposing the original to visitors.
Animal symbolism : The use of animals as signs, metaphors, or culturally meaningful images. The prominence and arrangement of animals at Lascaux invite symbolic interpretations.
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