Chauvet Cave

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Decorated cave of Pont d'Arc, known as Grotte Chauvet-Pont d'Arc, Ardche

The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave in the Ardche department of southern France is a cave that
contains some of the best preserved figurative cave paintings in the world,[2] as well as other
 evidence of Upper Paleolithic life.[3] It is located near the commune of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc on
a limestone cliff above the former bed of the Ardche River, in the Gorges de l'Ardche.
Discovered on December 18, 1994, it is considered one of the most significant prehistoric
art sites and the UNs cultural agency UNESCO granted it World Heritage status on June 22,
2014.[4] Its paintings, along with those of Lascaux and the Cave of Altamira, have been
dubbed a "prehistoric Sistine Chapel."[5]
The cave was first explored by a group of three speleologists: Eliette Brunel-Deschamps,
Christian Hillaire, and Jean-Marie Chauvet for whom it was named. Chauvet (1996) has a
detailed account of the discovery. In addition to the paintings and other human evidence, they
also discovered fossilized remains, prints, and markings from a variety of animals, some of
which are now extinct.

Further study by French archaeologist Jean Clottes has revealed much about the site. The
dates have been a matter of dispute but a study published in 2012 supports placing the art in
the Aurignacian period, approximately 32,00030,000 years BP. A study published in 2016
using additional 88 radiocarbon dates showed two periods of habitation, one 37,000 to 33,500
years ago and the second from 31,000 to 28,000 years ago with most of the black drawings
dating to the earlier period.

Contents

[hide]

1 Features

2 Paintings

3 Dating

4 Preservation

5 See also

6 Notes
 7 References

8 External links

Features[edit]
The cave is situated above the previous course of the Ardche River before the Pont
d'Arc opened up. The gorges of the Ardche region are the site of numerous caves, many of
them having some geological or archaeological importance. The Chauvet Cave is
uncharacteristically large and the quality, quantity, and condition of the artwork found on its
walls have been called spectacular.[by whom?]
Based on radiocarbon dating, the cave appears to have been used by humans during two
distinct periods: the Aurignacian and the Gravettian.[6] Most of the artwork dates to the earlier,
Aurignacian, era (30,000 to 32,000 years ago). The later Gravettian occupation, which
occurred 25,000 to 27,000 years ago, left little but a child's footprints, the charred remains of
ancient hearths[citation needed], and carbon smoke stains from torches that lit the caves.
After the child's visit to the cave, evidence suggests that due to a landslide which covered its
historical entrance, the cave had been untouched until it was discovered in 1994.[7]The
footprints may be the oldest human footprints that can be dated accurately.
The soft, clay-like floor of the cave retains the paw prints of cave bears along with large,
rounded depressions that are believed to be the "nests" where the bears slept. Fossilized
bones are abundant and include the skulls of cave bears and the horned skull of an ibex.[8] A
set of foot prints of a young child and a wolf or dog walking side by side was found in this
cave. This information suggests the origin of the domestic dog could date to before the last
Ice Age. [9]

Paintings[edit]

Replica of Paintings in the Chauvet Cave

 Image of Steppe Wisent (Bison priscus). Paintings in the Chauvet Cave on Post stamp of Romania 2001

Replica of Painting of Lions

A Group of Rhinos

Painting of Deer

Hundreds of animal paintings have been catalogued, depicting at least 13 different species,
including some rarely or never found in other ice age paintings. Rather than depicting only the
familiar herbivores that predominate in Paleolithic cave art, i.e. horses, cattle, mammoths,
etc., the walls of the Chauvet Cave feature many predatory animals, e.g., cave lions,
panthers, bears, and cave hyenas. There are also paintings of rhinoceroses.[10]
composite drawing as a Minotaur.[11] There are a few panels of red ochre hand prints
and hand stencils made by blowing pigment over hands pressed against the cave
surface. Abstract markingslines and dotsare found throughout the cave. There are also
two unidentifiable images that have a vaguely butterfly or avian shape to them. This
combination of subjects has led some students of prehistoric art and cultures to believe that
there was a ritual, shamanic, or magical aspect to these paintings.[12]
One drawing, later overlaid with a sketch of a deer, is reminiscent of a volcano spewing lava,
similar to the regional volcanoes that were active at the time. If confirmed, this would
represent the earliest known drawing of a volcanic eruption.[13]
The artists who produced these unique paintings used techniques rarely found in other cave
art. Many of the paintings appear to have been made only after the walls were scraped clear
of debris and concretions, leaving a smoother and noticeably lighter area upon which the
artists worked. Similarly, a three-dimensional quality and the suggestion of movement are
achieved by incising or etching around the outlines of certain figures. The art is also
exceptional for its time for including "scenes", e.g., animals interacting with each other; a pair
of woolly rhinoceroses, for example, are seen butting horns in an apparent contest
for territory or mating rights.

Dating[edit]
The cave contains some of the oldest known cave paintings, based on radiocarbon dating of
"black from drawings, from torch marks and from the floors", according to Jean Clottes.
Clottes concludes that the "dates fall into two groups, one centered around 27,000
26,000 BP and the other around 32,00030,000 BP."[3] As of 1999, the dates of 31 samples
from the cave had been reported. The earliest, sample Gifa 99776 from "zone 10", dates to
32,900 490 BP.[14]
Some archaeologists have questioned these dates. Christian Zchner, relying on stylistic
comparisons with similar paintings at other well-dated sites, expressed the opinion that the
red paintings are from the Gravettian period (c. 28,00023,000 BP) and the black paintings
are from the Early Magdalenian period (early part of c. 18,00010,000 BP).[15] Pettitt and
Bahn also contended that the dating is inconsistent with the traditional stylistic sequence and
that there is uncertainty about the source of the charcoal used in the drawings and the extent
of surface contamination on the exposed rock surfaces.[16][17][18] Stylistic studies showed that
some Gravettian engravings are superimposed on black paintings proving the paintings' older
origins.[19]
By 2011, more than 80 radiocarbon dates had been taken, with samples from torch marks
and from the paintings themselves, as well as from animal bones and charcoal found on the
cave floor. The radiocarbon dates from these samples suggest that there were two periods of
creation in Chauvet: 35,000 years ago and 30,000 years ago.[20]
A research article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in May 2012
by scientists from the University of Savoy, Aix-Marseille University and the Centre National de
 Prehistoire confirmed that the paintings were created by people in the Aurignacian era,
between 30,000 and 32,000 years ago. The researchers findings are based on the analysis
using geomorphological and 36
Cl dating of the rock slide surfaces around what is believed to be the caves only entrance.
Their analysis showed that the entrance was sealed by a collapsing cliff some 29,000 years
ago. Their findings put the date of human presence in the cave and the paintings in line with
that deduced from radiocarbon dating, i.e., between 32,00030,000 years BP.[21][22]
A 2016 study in the same journal examining 259 radiocarbon dates, some unpublished
before, concluded that there were two phases of human occupation, one running from 37,000
to 33,500 years ago and the second from 31,000 to 28,000 years ago. All but two of the dates
for the black drawings were from the earlier phase. The authors believe that the first phase
ended with a rockfall that sealed the cave, with two more rockfalls at the end of the second
occupation phase after which no humans or large animals entered the cave until it was
rediscovered.[23] In an email to the Los Angeles Times two of the authors explained that ""A
human group (band or tribe) visited the Chauvet cave during the first period around 36,000
years ago for cultural purposes. They produced black drawings of huge mammals. Then,
several thousands of years after, another group from another place with another culture
visited the cave."[24]

Preservation[edit]
The cave has been sealed off to the public since 1994. Access is severely restricted owing to
the experience with decorated caves such as Lascaux found in the 20th century, where the
admission of visitors on a large scale led to the growth of mold on the walls that damaged the
art in places. In 2000 the archaeologist and expert on cave paintings Dominique Baffier was
appointed to oversee conservation and management of the cave. She was followed in 2014
by Marie Bardisa.

Caverne du Pont-d'Arc, a facsimile of Chauvet Cave on the model of the so-called "Faux
Lascaux", was opened to the general public on 25 April 2015.[25] It is the largest cave replica
ever built worldwide, ten times bigger than the Lascaux facsimile. The art is reproduced full-
size in a condensed replica of the underground environment, in a circular building above
ground, a few kilometres from the actual cave.[26] Visitors senses are stimulated by the same
sensations of silence, darkness, temperature, humidity and acoustics, carefully reproduced.
[27]

See also[edit]
Cave of Forgotten Dreams, a 2010 documentary film about Chauvet Cave by Werner Herzog
Art of the Upper Paleolithic
List of Stone Age art
 Notes[edit]
1. Jump up^ http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1426.

2. Jump up^ UNESCO. [1], June 2014.

3. ^ Jump up to:a b Clottes (2003b), p. 214.

4. Jump up^ France 24. "UNESCO grants heritage status to prehistoric French cave", June 2014.

5. Jump up^ "'Prehistoric Sistine Chapel' gets world heritage status". BBC. June 23, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2016.

6. Jump up^ See the section on Dating.

7. Jump up^ Curtis, Gregory, The Cave Painters: Probing the Mysteries of the World's First Artists. Knopf: New York, NY, USA,
2006, pp. 215-216

8. Jump up^ Smithsonian Magazine, December 2010

9. Jump up^ Hobgood-Oster, Laura (2014). A Dog's History of the World. Baylor University Press. p. 6,7.

10.Jump up^ Adams, Laurie (2011). Art Across Time (4th ed.). Mc-Graw Hill. p. 34.
11.Jump up^ Thurman, Judith (23 June 2008). "First Impressions: What does the worlds oldest art say about us?". The New
Yorker Magazine.

12.Jump up^ See, for example, Lewis-Williams (2002).

13.Jump up^ "'Cave of forgotten dreams' may hold earliest painting of volcanic eruption". Nature News. 15 January 2016.
14.Jump up^ Clottes (2003b), p. 33. See also Chauvet (1996), p. 131, for a chronology of dates from various caves. Bahn's
foreword and Clottes' epilogue to Chauvet (1996) discuss dating.

15.Jump up^ Zchner, Christian (September 1998). "Grotte Chauvet Archaeologically Dated". Communication at the
International Rock Art Congress IRAC 98. Retrieved 2014-12-05. Clottes (2003b), pp. 213-214, has a response by Clottes.

16.Jump up^ Pettitt, Paul; Paul Bahn (March 2003). "Current problems in dating Palaeolithic cave art: Candamo and
Chauvet". Antiquity. 77 (295): 134141. doi:10.1017/s0003598x00061421.

17.Jump up^ Pettitt, P. (2008). "Art and the Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition in Europe: Comments on the archaeological
arguments for an early Upper Paleolithic antiquity of the Grotte Chauvet art". Journal of Human Evolution, 2008 Aug
2. (abstract)

18.Jump up^ Bahn, P., P. Pettitt and C. Zchner, "The Chauvet Conundrum: Are claims for the 'birthplace of art' premature?"
in An Enquiring Mind: Studies in Honor of Alexander Marshack (ed. P. Bahn), Oxford 2009, pp. 25378.

19.Jump up^ Guy, Emmanuel (2004). The Grotte Chauvet: a completely homogeneous art?, paleoesthetique.com, February
2004.

20.Jump up^ "A Chauvet Primer". Archaeology. 64 (2): 39. MarchApril 2011.
21.Jump up^ Agence France-Presse (May 7, 2012). "France cave art gives glimpse into human life 40,000 years ago". National
Post. Retrieved May 8, 2012.

22.Jump up^ Sadier, Benjamin; Delannoy, Jean-Jacques; Benedetti, Lucilla; Bourles, Didier; Jaillet, Stephane; Geneste, Jean-
Michel; Lebatard, Anne-Elisabeth; Arnold, Maurice (2012). "Further constraints on the Chauvet cave artwork
 elaboration". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 109 (21):

8002. doi:10.1073/pnas.1118593109. PMC 3361430 . PMID 22566649. Retrieved May 8, 2012.

23.Jump up^ Anita Quiles, Hlne Valladas, Herv Bocherens, Emmanuelle Delqu-Kolic, Evelyne Kaltnecker, Johannes van
der Plicht, Jean-Jacques Delannoy, Valrie Feruglio, Carole Fritz, Julien Monney, Michel Philippe, Gilles Tosello, Jean
Clottes, and Jean-Michel Geneste "A high-precision chronological model for the decorated Upper Paleolithic cave of
Chauvet-Pont dArc, Ardche, France" PNAS 2016 113 (17) 4670-4675; published ahead of print April 11, 2016,
doi:10.1073/pnas.1523158113 [2]

24.Jump up^ Netburn, Deborah (December 2016). "Chauvet cave: The most accurate timeline yet of who used the cave and
when". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 December 2016.

25.Jump up^ "Replik der Grotte Chauvet mit Hhlenmalereien". faz.net. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
26.Jump up^ "Chauvet-Pont dArc cave, grand opening!". TRACCE Online Rock Art Bulletin. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
27.Jump up^ Conservation of prehistoric caves and stability of their inner climate: lessons from Chauvet and other French
caves. Bourges F. , Genthon P., Genty D. , Lorblanchet M. , Mauduit E. , DHulst D. Science of the Total Environment. Vol.
493, 15 Sept. 2014, p. 79-91DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.05.137.

References[edit]
Chauvet, Jean-Marie; Eliette Brunel Deschamps; Christian Hillaire (1996). Dawn of Art: The
Chauvet Cave. Paul G. Bahn (Foreword), Jean Clottes (Epilogue). New York: Harry N.
Abrams. ISBN 0-8109-3232-6. English translation by Paul G. Bahn from the French edition La
Grotte Chauvet
Clottes, Jean (2003a). Return To Chauvet Cave, Excavating the Birthplace of Art: The First
Full Report. Thames & Hudson. p. 232. ISBN 0-500-51119-5.
Clottes, Jean (2003b). Chauvet Cave: The Art of Earliest Times. Paul G. Bahn (translator).
University of Utah Press. ISBN 0-87480-758-1. Translation of La Grotte Chauvet, l'art des
origins, ditions du Seuil, 2001.
Lewis-Williams, David (2002). The Mind in the Cave. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-
0-500-28465-0.
Clottes, Jean (August 2001). "France's Magical Ice Age Art". National
Geographic. 200 (2). (article includes many photographs)

External links[edit]
 The Cave of Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc French Ministry of Culture information site; includes an
interactive map with photos.
Ancient Grand Masters: Chauvet Cave, France A brief article by Jean Clottes of the French
Ministry of Culture, responsible for overseeing the authentication of the contents and art of the
cave
Humphrey, Nicholas (1999). "Cave Art, Autism, and the Evolution of the Human
Mind" (PDF). Journal of Consciousness Studies. 6 (67): 11623. With responses by Paul
Bahn, Steven Mithen, et al.
Chauvet Cave (ca. 30,000 b.c.) on the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Timeline of Art History
Doubt Cast on Age of Oldest Human Art abstract of April 18, 2003 New Scientist article by
Jenny Hogan
Chauvet Cave The cave paintings and rock art of Chauvet, with contributions by Jean Clottes
The Grotte Chauvet : a completely homogeneous art?
Chauvet cave An enthusiast site with photographs and articles.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams a film by Werner Herzog using 3D technology
Marshall, Michael. "Bear DNA is clue to age of Chauvet cave art". New Scientist.

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