Lascaux
| Lascaux | |
|---|---|
| Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List | |
depiction of aurochs, horses and deer
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| Location | near Montignac, France |
| Type | Cultural |
| Reference | 85 |
| UNESCO region | Europe and North America |
| Coordinates | 45°02′57″N 1°10′34″E / 45.04917°N 1.17611°ECoordinates: 45°02′57″N 1°10′34″E / 45.04917°N 1.17611°E |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1979 (3rd Session) |
 Location in France
Location in France
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Lascaux, (French: Grotte de Lascaux), (Lascaux Cave) (English /læsˈkoʊ/,French: [lasko]) is the setting of a complex of caves near the village of Montignac, in the department of Dordogne in southwestern France renowned for its over 600 excellently detailed parietal wall paintings, that decorate the interior walls and ceilings of the cave in impressive compositions." Among some of the best-known Upper Paleolithic works of art depicted are primarily large animals, typical local and contemporary fauna that corresponds with the fossil record. The paintings are the combined effort of many generations and dating (still debated) ranks variably to around 17,000 years BP. Lascaux was inducted into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1979, as element of the Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley.
On September 12, 1940, the entrance to the Lascaux Cave was discovered by 18 year old Marcel Ravidat. Ravidat (died in 1995) returned to the scene with three friends, Jacques Marsal, Georges Agnel, and Simon Coencas, and entered the cave via a long shaft. The teenagers discovered that the cave walls were covered with depictions of animals.Galleries that suggest continuity, context or simply represent a cavern were given names. Those include the Hall of the Bulls, the Passageway, the Shaft, the Nave, the Apse, and the Chamber of Felines. The cave complex was opened to the public in 1948. By 1955, carbon dioxide, heat, humidity, and other contaminants produced by 1,200 visitors per day had visibly damaged the paintings. As air condition deteriorated fungi and lichen increasingly infested the walls. Consequently the cave was closed to the public in 1963, the paintings were restored to their original state and a monitoring system on a daily basis was introduced.
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