Lascaux cave
Cueva de Lascaux
- Date
- 12 de septiembre de 1940 · confidence high
- Place
- Montignac, Dordogne, France
- Credited to
- Marcel Ravidat, Jacques Marsal, Georges Agnel and Simon Coencas; studied by Henri Breuil
- People
- 👤 Marcel Ravidat1922–1995👤 Simon Coencas1927–2020
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
Four teenagers found a cave with about 600 paintings and 1500 engravings from 17,000 years ago, the 'Sistine Chapel of prehistory'. Its closure in 1963 due to damage caused by visitors was a pioneering conservation measure.
Coordinates of the cave. Chance discovery while following a dog through a hole.
What it led to
- Consolidation of the study of Palaeolithic art
- Replicas (Lascaux II, IV) as a model of heritage management
- Study of the iconography and possible prehistoric astronomy
Built on
- Altamira cave: Palaeolithic cave art1879
- French prehistory (Breuil)
Made possible
- Cave facsimiles
- Microbiological monitoring of sites