We encounter the first examples of human civilization in the 4th millennium BC. But there were people before. Moreover, these people, whom we see as primitive cavemen, weren’t just trying to somehow survive, they were taking the first steps in today’s art. The murals we saw in Lascaux Cave reveal the first examples of this art and allow us to have an idea about the first humans.
The Lascaux Cave murals were made thousands of years ago. These works, which are truly unique when we consider the conditions of the period and even today, not only present the first examples of art, but also convey important information about the daily lives of the people who lived in that period. Let’s examine the mural paintings of Lascaux Cave and the importance of Lascaux Cave in all details.
The Renaissance of Homo Sapiens: Lascaux Cave
Lascaux Cave is a cave located near the village of Montignac in the Dordogne region in southwest France. This cave, which was discovered by chance, has nearly 600 paintings and wall paintings consisting of more than 1400 engravings. When the history of Lascaux Cave was examined, it was determined that these works were made between 17 thousand and 15 thousand years BC.
The muralists in Lascaux Cave, dated to the Upper Paleolithic, were homo sapiens, considered the first modern humans. In addition to the wall paintings, another remarkable detail was the numerous hand tools and ornaments. Lascaux Cave and its surrounding structures from similar periods were included in the World Cultural Heritage list by UNESCO in 1979.
How and when was Lascaux Cave discovered?
On September 12, 1940, four friends running away from school were running in the countryside with their dogs. Following their dog running after a fox, the four friends entered Lascaux Cave and encountered a magical sight. The next day, the children, who entered the cave with their lighting tools and examined every detail, explained this situation to their teachers. After the teacher informed the authorities, work began in the area and Lascaux Cave was opened to the public in 1948.
What’s in Lascaux Cave?
Studies have revealed that the wall paintings in Lascaux Cave were made by Homo sapiens, the first modern human to have lived in the region since 40,000 BC. In the figures in the cave paintings dated between 17 thousand and 15 thousand years BC, many animals, mostly horses, deer, wild ox, mountain goat, bison, lion, bear, as well as numerous animals reflecting the fauna of the region, were depicted.
Early humans used sandstone oil lamps and simple fireplaces to illuminate Lascaux Cave. Among the many tools found in the cave are flint tools used for engraving, bone tools, deer antlers, and pierced sea creature shells.
After a short entrance, Lascaux Cave opens into a large section called the Hall of the Bulls. As you progress, you come across a dead-end room called the Axial Gallery. The ceiling paintings of this room are so impressive that experts call it the Prehistoric Sistine Chapel.
How were the murals in Lascaux Cave made?
In the examinations made in Lascaux Cave, it was seen that this place was not a settlement of people. Even if settlement was made in the small area illuminated at the entrance, there was no settlement in the depths of the cave. What this means is that Lascaux Cave is an area used only for making works of art or for some rituals. Perhaps this was the workshop of a prehistoric painter.
Red, yellow and black colors predominate in the murals in Lascaux Cave. The first painters; red with clay and mustard, yellow with iron oxyhydroxide, black with coal and manganese oxide. They grinded them, mixed them and heated them into paint.
The resulting paint was transferred to the wall with fingers, branches used as pens, primitive brushes thought to be made of human hair or moss, and blowing paint from a hollow bone. The murals in Lascaux Cave are not only drawings but also carvings. This is the biggest sign that those people are actually making art on the wall.
What do the murals in Lascaux Cave say?
Animals are the most prominent figures in the murals in Lascaux Cave. Along with animals, there are humans and many abstract figures. In the wall paintings, it is possible to see all the creatures belonging to the fauna of the region. Among them are animals, many of which are already extinct.
One of the paintings depicts fleeing cattle and horses. The animals stand sideways but with their horns turned. This fine detail adds realism to the picture. Some of the figures are quite mysterious. For example, there is a pregnant horse with horns on its head. In another example, there is a male animal with panther skin, deer tail, bison humps, and two horns.
In the ceiling painting known as the Prehistoric Sistine Chapel in the Axial Gallery room, red aurochs stand with their heads forming a circle. A black male bull and one of the hooves of a female aurochs next to him are drawn on the back, creating perspective in the painting. A horse running with its mane swaying in the wind is one of the most impressive wall paintings.
At the back of Lascaux Cave there is a small chamber called the Shaft. Here are a protruding bison, a fluffy rhinoceros, a stick-like bird, and a male with erect genitalia next to them. Although it is not fully understood what it is, according to experts, these are not randomly drawn figures. Our first painter tells a story here.
Significance of Lascaux Cave:
We said that the black color in the Lascaux Cave paintings was obtained with manganese oxide. The strange thing is that the closest manganese oxide deposit to the cave is exactly 250 kilometers away. It is common for the people of that period to obtain their materials from afar, but the fact that such a long distance has been traveled only to paint murals indicates that the first painters made a tremendous effort.
The murals found in Lascaux Cave reveal the state of the people of that period and the natural structure in the region. It allows us to get to know the world of our ancestors who lived in the Upper Paleolithic period much more closely. In addition to the wall paintings, we have the opportunity to examine their development thanks to the numerous ornaments and hand tools found in the cave. So much of what we know about that period is the legacy of our ancestors who painted in Lascaux Cave.
How is Lascaux Cave today?
Lascaux Cave is a natural structure. Inevitably, its natural structure is damaged due to visitors. The cave was closed to visitors in 1963 due to the growth of algae on its walls. However, the fungus still continues to spread inside the cave, causing irreversible damage to the murals. Copies of the original paintings can be visited in another cave opened in 1983, 200 meters from Lascaux Cave.
We talked about the details you need to know about the mural paintings of Lascaux Cave, where Homo Sapiens lived during the Renaissance, and their importance. You can share your thoughts on the creation of such eye-catching works of art by the people we called primitive thousands of years ago in the comments.
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