beautiful, prehistoric cave drawings, discovered by 4 teenagers, caves were closed to public viewing in 1963, to preserve the paintings from deterioration, pictures were taken of them , to still allow us to view what our prehistoric ancestors drew about the wildlife around them ... and YES even a UNICORN!! is there!

Date:   3/22/2005 11:20:49 PM ( 19 y ago)

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 Vézère, 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.
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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.
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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 André Malraux, had the cave closed on April 20 1963.

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To see the map of the cave and pictures of the drawings there,
click : HERE

when you get to this site,
give it a minute to fully load.
after it is loaded, go to Virtual viewing.

then simply click on the words in the message
to view the pictures,
or click on the dots on map shown,
be sure to then either hit the arrow forward
or back on the page to see
all the pictures in that part of the cave,
or simply click indvidually on the litle pics at top.

I hope you enjoy looking at these wonderful prehistoric pictures.
most especially to see teh UNICORN drawn also. !
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This message posted by Ami Joi Benton ; Curezone Team Member
welcome to visit my website if you like,
click page refresh when you get there (internet page refresh)
to ensure you are seeing any new updates.
Wrenn's Web





 

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