📷 Reinhard Bruckner · Pexels

Where in the world

France

Lascaux

Palaeolithic · France

Field notes

civilizations: Palaeolithic
types: Cave painting
occupied: 15,000 BCE — 13,000 BCE
country: France

The site

Lascaux is a network of caves near Montignac in France's Dordogne, whose walls and ceilings carry over 600 Palaeolithic paintings. Rendered chiefly of large animals matching the region's Upper Paleolithic fauna, the images are the combined work of many generations, usually dated between 17,000 and 22,000 years old. The original caves have been closed since 1963 to halt their decay, and visitors now view replicas. Lascaux is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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