SPACE I TIME

The western edges of the Massif Central and the

northern slopes of the Pyrenees are noted for an
exceptional concentration of Palaeolithic caves. In
fact, there are no fewer than one hundred and thirty
sanctuaries, the most renowned of which is Lascaux.

Located on the left bank of the river

Vzre, Lascaux is set a little apart
from the traditional prehistoric sites
further downstream, between
Moustier and Bugue.
The excellent state of conservation
of our prehistoric heritage is due to
the numerous rock-shelters and
natural caves in limestone, which
dot the landscape.

The entrance to Lascaux is halfway up the side of a hill. The cave is no more than
250 metres deep, with a drop in level of about thirty metres.

In prehistoric times a small rocky

escarpment marked the entrance,
which was later gradually hidden
by sediments as a result of
erosion.
Section of the entrance at the end of the Palaeolithic Age.

These deposits accumulated over

the millennia to form a scree
covered cone which hid the entire
entrance.

Section of the entrance at the time of discovery in 1940.

The research carried out during the past decades has placed the iconography of
Lascaux at the beginning of the Magdalenian Age, that is, 17,000 years before
 today. However, certain indications, both thematic and graphic, suggest that
certain figures could belong to a more recent period. This is borne out by dating
with Carbon 14 (around 15,000 years old)

1940 0TKRIA

On Thursday, September 12 1940...

The floor formed a succession of
terraced basins, full of water.
The uncertain light of their lamp barely
pierced the darkness, and it wasn't till
they reached the first narrowing of the
passage, at the entrance to a keyhole
shaped gallery ( The Painted Gallery),
that the four teenagers made out the first
paintings on the walls.
Their names were :
Marcel Ravidat, Jacques Marsal, Georges Agnel
et Simon Coencas.
 Calcite :
Natural crystalline calcium carbonate
Gours :
Terraced basin(s).

A teenage jaunt on the hill overlooking the village of Montignac was to materialise
into one of the most renowned archaeological discoveries of the XXth Century.
In the middle of the woods, above the Lascaux manor, a hole had opened up
following the fall of a big pine tree several years before.

After enlarging the hole, they

slipped through the narrow
crevice then tumbled down a
big pile of rocks which hid
the original entrance to the
cave...
From the foot of this
formation they ventured into
a larger space which is now
called the Great Hall of the
Bulls.

Large red cows, yellow horses, bulls and black stags, all in
uncoordinated movement

seemed as if they had been awakened from

a night several millennia old

by the expressions of joy evoked by this

somewhat unreal discovery.
 The next day the exploration continued.
The whole cave was explored up to a narrower passage,
which was difficult to pass through because, in addition to
the narrowness, there was a shaft about 12 metres deep,
which had to be descended by rope.

Marcel Radiate ventured into the

opening, widening it. When he
reached the bottom he explored
the only gallery in that network.
On the way back he paid more
attention to the walls and must
have encountered the Bird-
headed Man from the Scene of
the Dead Man.

The news of the discovery spread

like wildfire.

On the following days the villagers

came. Then came the leading lights
of archaeology at that time, Abbot
Henri Breuil, Dr. Cheynier, Abbot J.
and Abbot A Bouysonnie and, later,
D. Peyrony and Count Bgoun.

VIRTUAL VISIT-ZA SVAKU GAL.KLIK KARAKT.

Map of the site
The first twenty metres inside the cave
slopes steeply down to the first hall in
the network, the Great Hall of the Bulls.
The Painted Gallery, which is about
thirty metres long, is a continuation of
this hall.

A second, lower, gallery, the Lateral

Passage, opens off the aisle to the right
of Great Hall of the Bulls. It connects the
 Chamber of Engravings with the Main
Gallery and, at its extremity, with the
Chamber of Felines.

The Shaft of the Dead Man is set a little

apart, at the far end of the Chamber of
Engravings, and the Silted-up Chambers
are in the same direction. However, we
find no traces of man in these rooms.

1963 CLOSING OF THE CAVE

The work carried out at Lascaux shortly

after the Second World War made
access to the cave easier.

At that time, the entrance was

considerably enlarged and the floors
lowered to enable the constant flow of
tourists (almost 1,200 people per day)
to circulate more easily.

But, in 1955 the first indications of

deterioration of the paintings appeared.
A thorough study found that the cause was
an excess of carbon dioxide in the air
brought about by the visitors' breath.
 This gas acidified the water vapour
being breathed out and, as it
condensed on the walls this corroded
the rock face as well as the .

A system was then put in place to

monitor the production of carbon
dioxide. Nevertheless, a few years
later, green patches developing
rapidly on the walls indicated the
presence of green algae and mosses.

Research showed that this deterioration was caused by the intensive development
of this site. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs, headed by Andr Malraux, had the
cave closed on April 20 1963.

Once the visits to the cave had been cancelled, the causes of the changes
eliminated, and the original climatic conditions recreated, the Lascaux cave art
returned to the state it was in on the day of its discovery.

At present, the site, in particular the walls and cave drawings, is checked daily. The
protocol used to monitor the state of conservation was developed by the
Laboratoire de recherche des Monuments Historiques (L. R. M. H. Historic
monuments research laboratory). It has set up a computerised system which uses
remote metering to record the least variation in temperature, hygrometry, and
carbon dioxide gas pressure in the cave.

However, the biological equilibrium of the cave remains fragile. Throughout the
summer of 2001, colonies of micro-organisms, mushrooms and bacteria developed
on the rock edges and on the floor of the cave. Fungicides and antibiotics, as well
as the application of quicklime, were immediately used to treat the affected areas.
This new problem has now been contained.

The authorities decided to create a life size copy of this Palaeolithic sanctuary to
compensate the general public for the loss caused by the closing of the cave. In
 March 1980, the Dordogne Department tourism authority was given responsibility for
the work. They decided to reproduce the two most representative sections of the
site, the Great Hall of the Bulls and the Painted Gallery.
The reproduction is a half-buried structure enclosing a cement shell which
corresponds exactly in shape to the interior of the original. This shape was
achieved by using isometric curves calculated by the I.G.N. (National Geography
Institute), to create a series of transverse sections made up of square iron bars
placed side by side at intervals of 50cm.
Several layers
of wire mesh
were laid over
this metal
framework.
The mesh was
fine enough to
hold the
cement
projected onto
the framework
to create the
skin of the
copy.

So that the texture of the rock could be reproduced

as accurately as possible, several series of
stereoscopic photographs were taken. As a result,
the original uneven surface of the cave could be
reproduced with maximum accuracy during the
preparation of the surfaces.
Finally, the application of colour to reproduce both
the paintings and the appearance of the rock surface
as well as their position, a task which had at first
been done using measurements taken manually, was
improved by projecting images of the original site
onto the wall (Research: Centre nationale de
Prhistoire [National Centre of Prehistory]).
This procedure for transferring details, initiated at
Lascaux, was later applied to all subsequent
reproductions of other frescoes at that site: the
Scene of the Dead Man, the Black Cow panel, and the
Back to Back Bison, the Stag Frieze, all of which are
displayed in the Centre of Prehistoric Art at Thot
(Thonac - Dordogne).
Lascaux II has been open to the public since 1983: a visit to Thot is also
recommended.

II DIO
INDENTIFIKACIJA FIGURA
 (1/3)

For those with a somewhat educated eye it is

not particularly difficult to identify most of the
figurative and schematic wall paintings.
Nevertheless, some are difficult to interpret at
first glance. There are many reasons for this:
the figure has deteriorated, several entities
have been superimposed, it has been
obscured either by a more recent drawing, by
a deposit or by clay having run down
over it...
We have tools and methods which
are specific to each type of graphic
expression, engraved or painted.

These involve a series of steps which

are then synthesised to produce
what we call the "relev" (a read-out),
which maps the wall and allows us to
clearly separate the natural
background and the consecutive
evidence of man's artistic activities
on the wall.

[Pass the mouse over the photograph to see the

outlines of the engraving.]

(2/3)

One of several ways of achieving a more selective

interpretation of the painted motifs is by using
computer images.

In the example shown, we wanted to identify a

red-coloured shape painted on the Unicorn's side.

Through the use of several

successive digital imaging
processes and appropriate filters
we isolated this patch from the
rest of the composition.
 Then, by comparing this
shape with the other
figures in the site which
bore some resemblance
to it, we were able to
identify the head and
neck of a horse.

The same process was used for the heads and

shoulders of four , painted inside the body
of the Great Black Bull in the Painted Gallery.

[Pass the mouse over the photo to see the head and shoulders.]

Aurochs :
Large wild ox, now extinct.
Protom :
Reprsentation de la tte et de l'encolure
d'un tre vivant.
TEHNICAL

Recent Carbon 14 dating of

samples taken from the
animal paintings and
drawings in the Chauvet
Cave (Ardche) have
shown them to be very old
(about 30,000 years old).
Cap Blanc (Dordogne)
Horses sculpted in bas-relief.
In the Prigord,
excavations at the
beginning of the century
 brought to light Upper
Perigordian bas-reliefs of
women, in particular at
Laussel.
Wall paintings and
engravings
belonging to the
same period of the
first half of the
Upper Palaeolithic
La Grze (Dordogne) are found in other
Engraved bison sanctuaries; the
rock-shelter at
Labattut, the
Mouthe and Grze
caves, sites on the
sloping basin of the
Vzre.
These different examples of rock art testify to not
only very early discovery but also complete
mastery of most of the graphic arts which we know
today :
engraving
sculpture
painting Font de Gaume (Dordogne) -
Painted bison

drawing.
Rouffignac (Dordogne)
Drawing of a mammoth.

The artist was constantly adapting his tools to the surface

to be decorated.
Thus, to engrave a very hard rock surface like the walls of
all the caves, a material that was both resistant and yet
fine enough grained to engrave the rock without too
much difficulty had to be used. A soft, malleable surface
(clay) required only fingers or a piece of wood to produce
an even contour.
 The Lateral Passage, the Chamber of
Engravings, the Main Gallery and the
Chamber of Felines had a relatively soft,
that is friable, surface. It lent itself to the
use of painting and engraving in
combination.

Flint tools were used. It seems the shape

was of little importance, all that counted
was the tool's effectiveness in marking
the rock.

the Main Gallery: Horse: engraved outline with painted coat.

The situation is entirely different in the

Great Hall of the Bulls and the Painted
Gallery. Here the heavy concretion of the
walls meant they could only be decorated
by painting or drawing on colour.
Apart from the physical problems posed by
the rock face there was a second difficulty
caused by deposits covering the
surface of the gallery.
This change in the surface caused the
formation of concretions, between 5 and 15
mm. thick, whose very rough texture
resembles the flowerets of a cauliflower. The
surface was not suitable for engraving,
hence the total absence of engraved figures.

The colours are mineral based. However, it is

possible that some organic were
used. Still, they would have disappeared very
rapidly from any figures due to their very Painted Gallery
microform of wall with "cauliflower" concretions
limited life span.

Analyses of the reveal that mainly metal oxides, iron and manganese,
were used. At the present stage of research no trace of charcoal has been found
contrary to the caves in Lot, Arige or Ardche. The present day history of the
Prigord as well as our many prospecting expeditions show that this region has
many manganese deposits, a phenomenon which didn't escape the notice of
Palaeolithic man.

PRISTUP KAMENIM ZIDOVIMA

The Palaeolithic artists did not confine themselves to the more promising sectors
of the cavern, which were often easily reached. Certain figures required tedious
work that sometimes involved advancing along a twisting ledge as at Fontanet
(Arige) or creeping along for several tens of metres as at Gabillou, La Fret or
Combarelles (Dordogne). Besides, the decorated surfaces could also be several
metres above the floor, and therefore inaccessible except with scaffolds or simple
poles.

At Lascaux the entrance to the Painted Gallery

is 3.50 metres high. This configuration called
for a certain amount of work on the site to
allow access to the upper reaches of the walls
and the vault. Halfway up this passage we
notice a line of natural holes along both sides
of the Gallery.

From their
very even
distribution
we may
deduce that
a (certainly
temporary)
wooden
structure
could have
been
inserted,
anchored at
such a level
as to permit
access to the
surface of
the vault and
making it
easier for the
painter's
work to
evolve.

In the second part of this Gallery a narrow

ledge runs under both the friezes of the Great
Black Bull and the Falling Cow. These ledges
made it easier to move about at the level of the
section painted with several horses and
bovines that are visible today.

Intrados :
Surface intrieure d'une vote.
Registre :
Division arbitraire d'une surface orne.
Vire :
Palier trs troit qui rompt la verticalit de
la paroi.
OSVJETLJENJE
At the end of the XIX Century, there were numerous opponents to the recognition of
Palaeolithic Cave Art. One of the arguments cited was the question of lighting. For
some it seemed very unlikely that man could have done paintings or engravings in
the further reaches of the cave far from the light of day. He was thought to be
incapable of creating an instrument which would be both portable and capable of
giving off sufficient light to allow him to work under the conditions imposed by the
natural environment.
Nevertheless, four years after the
discovery of the wall art in the La
Mouthe Cave (Dordogne) E. Rivire,
who had recognised the discovery
in 1895, found a sandstone object
decorated with an engraved ibex at
that site. On the opposite side a
circular depression had been
hollowed out. Its base was covered
with a carbon deposit. Analysis
revealed the presence of
inflammable matter with an animal
fat base. La Mouthe (Dordogne) Entrance to the sanctuary
This was the first prehistoric lamp
recognised as such.

The excavations carried out by Abbot A. Glory at Lascaux at the foot of the Scene
of the Dead Man, were to lead to the discovery of another lamp, made out of one
piece of red sandstone whose handle was decorated with an engraving.

All the lamps found at this site are

not as elaborate. Most of them are
small pieces of limestone in the
slightly hollowed out centre of
which the combustible material
was placed. Marks on the edges
as if a torch had been snuffed out
suggest that resinous were also
used. These would have been
better than lamps for moving into
the interior of the cave. Finally,
fireplaces, devoid of flint or bone
objects, were used uniquely for
lighting.
ARHEOLOKI ARTEFAKTI
The excavations carried out in the decorated caves show that they were only
temporarily occupied by Palaeolithic man and their occupation was linked to cave
art activities. These sanctuaries rarely served as human habitations; only the first
few metres from the entrance vestibule, which were still lighted naturally, could
possibly have served this purpose.
 This segregation of the space explains
the somewhat atypical nature of the
archaeological material found at the base
of the walls, compared with the more
traditional artefacts found outside. In fact,
artefacts found in the decorated caves
have very specific characteristics.
However, the materials are just as varied,
flint, wood, bone; it is only the
proportions, the workmanship, of the
products that vary.

The materials used for colouring

are in powder form or in little
blocks (158 altogether) some of
which show signs of scraping.

The painters' tools pads brushes, stencils... all made of organic materials (wood,
skin, horsehair) have deteriorated as a result of natural weathering. On the other
hand, for this type of site a large number of flint tools have survived: blades,
backed bladelets and flakes. More than 350 pieces have been found, some of
which bear the marks of having been specifically used for engraving.

There are a very large number of

lamps on pieces of limestone or
blocks of clay including the burner
(bruloir), nearly 160 examples, found
particularly in the Main Gallery, the
Shaft of the Dead Man and at the foot
of the Upside-Down Horse.
 The
presence of
examples of
bone
industry,
particularly
dec
orated and
undecorated,
is more
puzzling.
One of the
assegais is
almost 45
cm. long, a
somewhat
unusual
length.
Biconical assegais
From J. Allain
(extract from
Unknown Lascaux
(Lascaux inconnu)
ditions du CNRS.)
Finally we
should note
the presence
of several
shells, some
of which are
pierced, and
which must
have been
used as
jewellery.
Shells
(From unknown
Lascaux (Lascaux
inconnu) - Editions
du CNRS)

DETERIORATION
 Caves are considered to be
the sites offering the best
conditions for the
conservation of different
vestiges of human activity.
Nevertheless, deterioration of
this heritage occurs due to
numerous causes. These can
be of natural, animal, or
human origin and take
different forms :

alternate freezing and

thawing ;
natural or artificial
light ;
the circulation of air
masses ;

rainwater.

(2/5)

The walls for the first few metres of the

entrance show signs of deterioration.
This takes the form of scaling of the
rock, or exfoliation, a phenomenon due
to alternate freezing and thawing
during today's winters.

Entrance porch of a cave with evidence of exfoliation on

the walls
(3/5)

The growth of vegetation on the walls,

mosses, lichens, ferns, is encouraged
by daylight on the first few metres of the
opening or by lighting fixed to the walls.

Entrance of Vielmouly
(4/5)

When there are several natural entrances to the cave, air masses circulate more
easily causing corrosion of the walls. The moisture-laden air combines with the
 excess carbon dioxide in the cave to form carbonic acid which dissolves the
limestone.
Wall corroded by carbonic acid
Rainwater seeping into the cave combined with certain thermal conditions and a
different concentration of CO2 from what is in the fissures of the rock are so
many factors that encourage the formation of on the walls and therefore
on the paintings or engravings.
Distribution of alterant phenomena

DATOVANJE

The range of methods and tools used to date the cave art is somewhat limited,
partly because the figures are not in a position favourable to stratigraphic dating
most of the time and also because of the nature of the materials used. In the
eventuality of a single period of Palaeolithic occupation of the site as at Fontanet
(Arige), Combarelles or Rouffingnac (Dordogne), and to some extent, at Lascaux,
it is reasonable to note the contemporaneousness of the wall paintings and the
material found on the floor of the cave. Whether lithic or bone, or in the form of
products of combustion, these elements are more easily dated.
An identical approach applies to the which had fallen to the ground
during the painting or drawing. They have been sealed in the archaeological
levels, at the foot of the decorated walls and are therefore contemporary with the
datable archaeological artefacts, and can be dated using radiometry (bone,
carbon) or possibly typology (lithic or bone industry). During the past few
decades several attempts have been made at direct dating of the paintings using
the radiocarbon method (J. Clottes and M. Lorblanchet). The ever-improving
performance of radioactive measuring instruments today allows analyses to be
made of matter weighing only a few milligrams. Nevertheless, only the paintings
and drawings which incorporate charcoal can be studied in this way; in most of
the Perigord caves, as at Lascaux, typing of the shows that the basis of
the material used on all the figures is metal oxides, iron or manganese, materials
that are impossible to date using the suggested methods.
BIBLIOGRAFIJA
This bibliographical and multimedia guide will help you to learn more about
the cave, the literature and the research carried out over many years at
Lascaux.
Aujoulat (N.)
Le relev des oeuvres paritales palolithiques, enregistrement et
traitement des donnes.
DAF n 9, Ed. Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, Paris, 1987.

Aujoulat (N.), Willemont (J.)

Lascaux, peintures et gravures.
Laservision. Ministre de la Culture et de la Communication, Paris, 1988.

Aujoulat (N.), Willemont (J.)

Lascaux revisit.
Laservision. Theorem, Paris, 1989.

Bataille (G.)
Lascaux ou la naissance de l'art.
Skira, Genve, 1955.

Breuil (H.)
Quatre cents sicles d'art parital.
C.E.D.P. Montignac, 1952.

Brunet (J.) - Vouv (J.)

La conservation des grottes ornes.
Paris : Ministre de la Culture ; CNRS ditions, 1996. (Conservation du
patrimoine)

Brunet (J.)
quilibre climatique dans les grottes.
Site web "Sciences et patrimoine culturel"

Laming-Emperaire (A.)
La signification de l'art rupestre palolithique ; Mthodes et applications.
Ed. A. et J. Picard & Cie, Paris, 1962.

Leroi-Gourhan (A.)
Prhistoire de l'art occidental.
Mazenod, Paris, 1965.

Leroi-Gourhan (Arl.), Allain (J.) et coll.

Lascaux inconnu. XIIe supplment Gallia-Prhistoire.
Ed. du C.N.R.S. Paris, 1979.

Ministre de la Culture
 L'art des cavernes : atlas des grottes ornes palolithiques franaises
Paris : Ministre de la Culture et de la Communication, Imprimerie Nationale,
1984.

Ruspoli (M.)
Lascaux, un nouveau regard
Bordas, Paris, 1986.

Vouv (J.), Brunet (J.), Vidal (P.), Marsal (J.)

Lascaux en Prigord Noir. Environnement, art parital et conservation.
Ed. P. Fanlac, Prigueux, 1982.

ISTRAIVANJA
Abbot Henri Breuil

From very first days following the discovery , archaeologists

visited the site in order to assess this exceptional heritage.
Henri Breuil, Dr. Cheynier and Abbot Bouysonie were the first
to descend into the cavity to authenticate the paintings and
engravings. They were followed the next day by Denis
Peyrony.

From 1952 to 1963, Abbot Andr Glory was to undertake the

recording of some 900 engravings from the Chamber of
Engravings, the Lateral Passage and the Chamber of Felines.

At the same time, he had to oversee the development of the

site and collect objects of archaeological interest as the
workers dug.
Ibex and quadrangular signs: recorded by Andr Glory

In 1960 and 1961 he undertook a

detailed excavation of the Shaft of the
Dead Man. One of his notable
discoveries was the red sandstone
lamp. Due to his premature death, his
research was left unfinished.

A few years later, a multidisciplinary

team was formed under the direction
of Arlette Leroi-Gourham to carry out a
comprehensive archaeological study
based on the data collected by Abbot
Glory during the excavations and from
his many sessions of recording the
wall paintings and engravings.
Numerous specialists were required
for this work; not only for the study of
the flora and fauna but also for the
lithic and bone industry, of the
underground environment and the
cave art.
 Since 1990, we have been continuing this work. Several areas of research have
been defined :
> technologies of painting and engravings ;
> the spatiotemporal distribution of the figures ;
> integration of the natural environment (creation of a system of reference for
the caverns in the Vezre Valley) ;
> search for ; deposits ;
> study of the interactions of the three components of this context: natural
environment, graphic background, raw materials.

In addition, we have requested the participation of several research laboratories :

> The L.R.M.F. (The Research Laboratory of the Museums of France) :
collection and classification of .)
> The C.N.P. (National Centre of Prehistory): establishment of material from
deposits found as a result of prosecution.

TEME
(1/4)

Cave iconography is limited to three basic themes :

animals, human representations and signs.
Neither the landscape outside the cave nor any of the
vegetation of the time is portrayed on these walls.

The first things we Distribution of the main Palaeolithic animal species.

notice are the animals,
for they are depicted
very figuratively and are
always much bigger
than the other graphic
entities.
They reflect the fauna
known to Palaeolithic
man.
 In comparison with the number of species, only a
few have been depicted on the walls, in fact,
horses alone count for a quarter of the total,
followed by bison. Ibex, , stags and
mammoths are rarer. Finally, pictures of birds and
fish appear only very occasionally.
Finally, pictures of birds and fish appear only very
occasionally.
There are almost 600 depictions of animals in
Lascaux. The horse is the predominant animal
whereas there is about the same number of
and stags, last come the ibex and bison.
As in other sites, the few carnivores, bears and
felines, are engraved or painted in the remotest
parts of the cave.

There are very few sanctuaries where the human figure is reproduced several times.
Lascaux is true to this tradition: in fact, there is only a single anthropomorphic
representation at this site, in the Shaft of the Dead Man.

The very stylised treatment of the silhouette gives it a caricature-like appearance.

Man is more often depicted by the reproduction of an anatomical segment, hands, either in
normal perspective or reversed, female sexual organs or, more rarely male organs. These
can also take on a subtler aspect by substituting animal parts, horns, antlers, paws etc, for
certain parts of the human body. There are very few sanctuaries where the human figure is
reproduced several times. Lascaux is true to this tradition: in fact, there is only a single
anthropomorphic represenThere are very few sanctuaries where the human figure is
reproduced several times. Lascaux is true to this tradition: in fact, there is only a single
anthropomorphic representation at this site, in the Shaft of the Dead Man. MRTVI AL
NECEEEEEEEE NESTO DA
KOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPIPA!!!!!!!!

.(

The signs which are often associated with animals, make up a schematic group
that we can divide into two categories.
 Common to many
sites the first consists
of simple shapes
made up of dots
(isolated dots,
concentrated or in a
line) or linear (lines,
curves, striations...).
The second is more
elaborately drawn
(quadrangles,
triangles, circles,
pentagons, branched
chains...) and is only
found at a few sites.
Because of the complexity of some signs
we can make comparisons between
sanctuaries both in space and time. Thus
the quadrangular signs we find several
times on the walls of Lascaux are
comparable in every way with those found
in the Gabillou (Dordogne) painted cave.
This similarity allows us to argue in
favour of some contemporaneity in the art
of the two sites. The Painted Gallery

PERSPEKTIVA OPET AJOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOJ!

In cave iconography the third dimension is effectively suggested at several levels.

A three dimensional effect is achieved both in the overall portrayal of the subject
and in the slightest anatomical details.
We see the same approach in the way different figures are placed in the
composition of certain panels to give a group perspective.

Most of these techniques are found in the Bison Diptych in the Main Gallery :

arou
nd the
hindquarters
to make a
clear
demarcation
between
subjects

arou
nd the joints
in limbs in
the
background

more elaborate technique on

 back hooves

forequarters more markedly

out of proportion to emphasise
the effect of flight

location on a curving out wall

dihedral structure.

This technique reaches its pinnacle when the artist distorts his subject in order to
give normal proportions to an animal depiction very high up on the wall, so that
from the floor, the picture's lines are in perspective.

Cow with shaded neck, from the top of

Cow with shaded neck, seen from the floor.
the wall, front view.

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How to get to Montignac-Lascaux:

By road :
To work out
your route,
consult Mappy.
By train :
Condat-Le-
Lardin station.
(10km. from
Montignac-
Lascaux)
By air :
Prigueux-Bassillac Airport (45km.
from Montignac-Lascaux).

Visit Lascaux II Since the Lascaux Cave is closed to the public, a

 replica has been created at Montignac, 200 metres
from the original cave, where two of the galleries
have been reproduced: the Great Hall of the Bulls
and the Painted Gallery.

Guided visit of approximately 40 minutes.

In season : open daily

Out of season : open daily except Monday.

Annual closing : January - Beginning of

February.
Information : Semitour Prigord - Tel : +33 5 53 05 65 65 - fax : +33 5 53 06 30 94

For information on the region: visit the Conseil gnral du Prigord Web Site.