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12 September 2009

On this day in history: Lascaux cave paintings discovered, 1940

On 12th September 1940, four teenagers, Georges Agnel, Simon Coencas, Jacques Marsal, Marcel Ravidat were playing on a hill overlooking the village of Montignac in the Dordogne, France. The four boys noticed a hole in the ground created when a large pine tree fell some years before. They enlarged the hole and climbed in.

The group fell into an underground passage which led to a larger cave covered with paintings of animals. The boys returned the next day and used a rope to descend into the underground complex. They found a number of other caves with a variety of paintings and engravings on the walls.

On hearing about the discovery other villagers explored the caves and they were soon joined by the leading archaeologists of the day who excavated the main entrance to the site. Following the end of the Second World War the cave paintings, estimated to be 16,000 years old, became a major tourist attraction. By 1955, the caves attracted over a thousand visitors per day.

Around that time, scientists noticed that the carbon-dioxide from the breath of visitors was having an effect on the paintings. Consequently, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs closed the caves to the public in 1963 to protect the art. Twenty years later, the Lascaux II centre opened close to the caves containing a facsimile of part of the original complex.

Visit the official Cave of Lascaux website to learn more.

Related posts
The British Museum opened to the public: 15th January, 1759
The Louvre opened as a museum: 8th November, 1793
Entrance to the tomb of King Tutankhamun discovered, 4th November, 1922

4 comments:

WillOaks Studio said...

Not old enough or fortunate enough to actually visit Lascaux, but I studied it well in art history (& taught it) and it is truly a jewel of human achievement, a window into our earliest human past, and a magnificent work of art.

Borkiman said...

Agreed. Thanks for the comment.

Unknown said...

Nice post. Angkor temples is a majoor tourist attraction. There are many temple in Cambodia country like Sulamani Temple, Gawdawpalin Temple. You can enjoy exotic view of the city by traveling in the hot air balloon. Best time to visit is a October to April. For more details refer caves of lascaux tourist guide

Borkiman said...

RP: Thank you for taking time to leave a comment