The Dordogne, France: Lascaux's Prehistoric Cave Paintings - Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide
Summary
TLDRThis script explores the prehistoric cave paintings of Lascaux, dating back to the Magdalenian culture around 17,000 years ago. The paintings, discovered by chance in 1940, were damaged by visitors and are now closed to the public. A replica, Lascaux II, allows visitors to experience the art. The script delves into the sophisticated Magdalenian society, highlighting their advanced tools, jewelry, and the significance of the art as a societal memory. The National Museum of Prehistory provides context, showing the Magdalenians' advanced culture compared to traditional caveman depictions.
Takeaways
- ⏳ The cave paintings in the Lascaux region date back to around 18,000 to 10,000 BC, predating famous structures like Stonehenge and the Pyramids.
- 🐘 These prehistoric artworks were created during a time when mammoths and saber-toothed cats roamed the earth, showcasing the advanced capabilities of early humans.
- 🎨 The paintings are not simple drawings but are part of a complex and sophisticated artistic project, indicative of a developed culture known as the Magdalenians.
- 🗻 The region's limestone cliffs contain numerous painted caves, a unique geological and cultural phenomenon on Earth.
- 🐕 The Lascaux caves were discovered by chance in 1940 by four children and their dog, highlighting the serendipity of archaeological finds.
- 🌡️ The caves were closed to the public after only 15 years due to the rapid deterioration of the paintings caused by the impact of visitors.
- 🗿 Visitors can now experience the Lascaux caves through a replica, Lascaux II, which preserves the integrity of the original artwork.
- 🔮 The paintings are not hunting scenes but are believed to represent deeper meanings, possibly dreams or myths, and serve as a form of societal memory.
- 🏺 The Magdalenian culture is revealed to be highly advanced, with evidence of delicate jewelry, effective tools, and realistic carvings.
- 🕯️ The sophistication of the Magdalenian people is further emphasized by the presence of oil lamps, indicating a developed understanding of light and possibly ritualistic practices.
- 🌟 The comparison of the Lascaux art's age to the entirety of human history underscores the relative recency of these artworks and our close connection to these ancient cultures.
Q & A
What period did the prehistoric people paint inside caves in Europe?
-The prehistoric people painted inside caves in Europe from about 18,000 until 10,000 BC.
What were the notable animals that roamed the earth during the time of the cave paintings?
-During the time of the cave paintings, mammoths and saber-toothed cats roamed the earth.
Who were the artists responsible for the cave paintings?
-The artists responsible for the cave paintings were part of the Magdalenian culture.
What is unique about the region's limestone cliffs?
-The region's limestone cliffs are unique because they are honeycombed with painted caves.
How were the Lascaux caves discovered?
-The Lascaux caves were discovered accidentally in 1940 by four kids and their dog.
Why were the original Lascaux caves closed to the public?
-The original Lascaux caves were closed to the public because the influx of visitors caused damage to the cave paintings, such as introducing fungus and altering humidity and temperature.
What is the purpose of Lascaux II?
-Lascaux II is an adjacent replica of the original Lascaux caves, allowing visitors to experience the wonder of the cave paintings without damaging the originals.
What is significant about the composition of the oxen room in Lascaux?
-The oxen room in Lascaux is significant because it features a calculated composition that relates two groups of bulls facing each other and unites the three principal animals of Lascaux: horse, ox, and deer.
Why is the largest bull painting in the Lascaux caves considered important?
-The largest bull painting is considered important as it is the largest artwork in the cave, measuring 16 feet from the top of the horn to the tip of the tail, and it is a central part of the sacred and complex composition within the caves.
What does the guide suggest about the purpose of the cave paintings?
-The guide suggests that the cave paintings were not everyday life scenes but rather complex meanings, possibly dreams or myths, intended to be a memory for the society.
How does the National Museum of Prehistory provide context to the Lascaux paintings?
-The National Museum of Prehistory provides context by housing over 18,000 artifacts, including bones, stones, and tools, which show that the Magdalenian people, who lived 15,000 years ago, were far more advanced than commonly depicted cavemen.
What does the script suggest about the sophistication of the Magdalenian culture?
-The script suggests that the Magdalenian culture was highly sophisticated, as evidenced by their advanced tools, jewelry, and the realism in their art, which is comparable to modern standards despite being much older than the oldest pyramids.
Outlines
🎨 Prehistoric Art of the Magdalenians
The script discusses the prehistoric cave paintings in Europe dating back to 18,000 to 10,000 BC, created by the Magdalenian culture. These sophisticated artworks were painted deep inside limestone caves and are unique to the planet. The most famous of these, Lascaux, was discovered by chance in 1940 but had to be closed to the public due to the damage caused by the influx of visitors. Today, visitors can experience a replica called Lascaux II. The paintings are not mere hunting scenes but are believed to represent deeper cultural and mythological significance. The script also mentions the National Museum of Prehistory, which houses artifacts that show the advanced nature of the Magdalenian people, such as intricate jewelry, functional tools, and realistic carvings.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Magdalenians
💡Lascaux
💡Cave Paintings
💡Prehistoric Art
💡Sacred Place
💡Cultural Heritage
💡Upper Paleolithic
💡National Museum of Prehistory
💡Artifacts
💡Memory of the Society
Highlights
Prehistoric people painted inside caves in Europe between 18,000 and 10,000 BC.
The paintings were not simple doodles but large and sophisticated works by the Magdalenian culture.
The region's limestone cliffs contain unique painted caves on Earth.
Lascaux, with the world's most famous cave paintings, was discovered by four children and their dog in 1940.
Over a million visitors in the decades after discovery caused significant damage to the caves.
The caves were closed to the public after only 15 years due to rapid deterioration.
Visitors can now experience a replica of Lascaux, called Lascaux II.
The oxen room in Lascaux is considered the most spectacular and sacred.
The paintings depict a complex composition of animals, not hunting scenes.
The largest painting in the cave is a bull, 16 feet from horn to tail.
The 600-animal composition suggests a complex society with skilled artists.
The art of Lascaux is thought to be around 17,000 years old.
The nearby National Museum of Prehistory houses over 18,000 artifacts from the region.
Magdalenian people were advanced, with evidence of delicate jewelry and functional tools.
Finely carved spear throwers and oil lamps show the sophistication of the Magdalenian culture.
The prehistoric caves and artifacts reveal a shared humanity and sophistication with the Magdalenians.
Transcripts
From about 18,000 until 10,000 BC,
long before Stonehenge and the Pyramids,
back when mammoths and saber-toothed cats
still roamed the earth,
prehistoric people painted
deep inside caves in this part of Europe.
These weren't just crude doodles,
but huge and sophisticated projects
executed by artists
and supported by an impressive culture --
the Magdalenians.
The region's limestone cliffs,
honeycombed with painted caves,
are unique on this planet.
Tourists gather nearby at Lascaux,
home of the region's -- and the world's --
most famous cave paintings.
These caves were discovered accidentally in 1940
by four kids and their dog.
Over the next couple of decades,
about a million visitors climbed through
the prehistoric wonderland, inadvertently
tracking in fungus on their shoes
and changing the humidity and the temperature
with their breathing.
In just 15 years, the precious art
deteriorated more
than in the 15,000 years before that.
The caves were closed to the public.
Visitors can now experience the wonder of Lascaux
by touring an adjacent replica.
When their time comes, visitors are called
to meet their guide for a look
at the precisely copied cave
called Lascaux II.
Man: Then we are in the oxen room --
the most spectacular room of Lascaux.
It's a sacred place.
We don't live in a church.
They never lived in the caves.
And it's a huge composition.
It's a calculated composition,
because they have taken advantage
of the strip of rock
to relate in a circle
two groups of bulls
facing each other.
And in the center of this composition,
they have united
the three principal animals of Lascaux --
horse, ox, and deer.
Steves: Is this a hunting scene?
No, it's not a hunting scene,
because on the walls,
the hunter doesn't exist.
They never tell the everyday life.
The meaning is more complex.
What is the biggest animal?
It's this bull.
He's the largest painting
in the cave art.
16 feet from the top of the horn
to the tip of the tail.
Steves: The guide explains
that this 600-animal, multi-cave composition
was the work of a complex society,
the Magdalenians.
Their culture allowed for skilled artists
to work over an extended period of time
in this sacred place.
Guide: They fix, maybe, on the walls,
a dream, a myth,
on the ledge, and the image will be able
to cross generations.
The image becomes the memory of the society.
The art of Lascaux is supposed to be
around 17,000 years old.
But compared to the beginning of the humanity,
which was born in Africa 3 million years ago,
Lascaux, it was yesterday.
They were like us.
Steves: The region has many more examples
of prehistoric cave painting.
And the nearby National Museum of Prehistory
provides an instructive background.
This modern museum houses over 18,000 bones,
stones, and fascinating little doodads,
all uncovered locally.
Artifacts are originals,
and show that, while the Magdalenian people
lived 15,000 years ago, they were far more advanced
than your textbook cavemen.
Skeletons were discovered draped in delicate jewelry.
Stag teeth and tiny shells were, it seems,
lovingly drilled to be strung
into necklaces.
These barbed spearheads and fishhooks
would work well today.
Finely carved spear throwers show impressive realism
for something three times as old
as the oldest pyramids.
Imagine flickering flames
from these oil lamps
lighting those art-covered caverns.
Today, as we ponder the prehistoric caves
and the artifacts of the Magdalenian people
here in the Dordogne, we can marvel
at how much we actually have in common with these people
and how sophisticated their culture was, so long ago.
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