Lascaux is a complex 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 original caves have been closed to the public since 1963, as their condition was deteriorating. There are now a number of replicas of them around the world.
About Lascaux in brief
Lascaux is a complex 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. Lascaux was inducted into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites 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 deteriorating, but there are now a number of replicas of them around the world. In its sedimentary composition, the Département covers one fourth of the northern region of the Black Périgord region of France. Upstream from this steep-sloped relief, the valley of Montacours is considerably softer than the surrounding land. Before this, the land in this vicinity was considerably more flat and flat. Before the rise of the Alps, the terrain was much more rugged. Now the land is considerably sloped and the valley is considerably higher and more flat. The area is marked by a series of meanders flanked by high cliffs that determine the course of the river Limeuil, which flows in a south-westerly direction. The river’s centre is at its point, at its centre, the Vèrezère River, the south-west point of the region. The region is also known for its large number of caves, many of which date back at least 17,000 years.
The caves were discovered by 18-year-old Marcel Ravidat when his dog, Robot, fell in a hole. They are the combined effort of many generations and, with continued debate, the age of the paintings is now usually estimated at around 17,00 years. Galleries that suggest continuity, context or simply represent a cavern were given names. Those include the Hall of the Bulls, the Passageway, the Shaft, the Nave, the Apse, and the Chamber of Felines. A full range of Lascau’s parietal art is presented a few kilometres from the site at the Centre of Prehistoric Art, Le Parc du Thot, where there are also live animals representing ice-age fauna. Since December 2016 this larger and more accurate replica which integrates digital technology into the display is presented in a new museum built by Snøhetta inside the hill overlooking MontignAC. The replica is part of the International Centre for Parietal Art. The cave complex was opened to thepublic on 14 July 1948, and initial archaeological investigations began a year later. By 1955, carbon dioxide, heat, humidity, and other contaminants produced by 1,200 visitors per day had visibly damaged the paintings. As air condition deteriorated, fungi and lichen increasingly infested the walls. Consequently, the cave was closed in 1963, the paintings were restored to their original state, and a monitoring system was introduced.
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This page is based on the article Lascaux published in Wikipedia (as of Jan. 01, 2021) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
