Ever heard about the prehistoric wall paintings at the Lascaux caves in France?Lascaux is a network of caves situated in southwestern France, near a small village called Montignac. The inside walls of these caves have been painted with almost 600 paintings and carvings of animals which include horses, deer, aurochs, bulls, bison, and even some felines.This cave art has been researched to date back to 17,000 to 15,000 BCE, which is the prehistoric age.The cave art at Lascaux caves is considered as one of the few most ancient representations of human existence and intelligence. The various archaeological experiments carried out at Lascaux caves after they were discovered found that the stone age humans had used charcoal or manganese oxides to paint the black parts of the paintings. They used a substance called ochre which is made from trees to color the other parts with yellow, white, and red. Many paintings have also been carved into the surface of the rocks, which are placed very immaculately to depict the curves of the body of a real animal. It is very interesting to see prehistoric humans having painted such intricate and observant paintings in the paleolithic age. After reading about the history and discovery of the famous Great Hall of the Bulls in France, also check out fact files on the goddess of knowledge and moons of Neptune.What is the purpose of the Lascaux cave paintings?The Lascaux cave paintings are a depiction of hundreds of animals, human figures, and abstract shapes on the walls of an enclosed, underground cave in France. These paintings are said to have been made in the paleolithic age and are one of the very few representations of human civilization from such a prehistoric age.There are several theories as to what was the purpose of drawing these animals inside the caves or making such immaculate efforts to create these paintings by the humans who lived in the prehistoric era. The most famous theory has been proposed by a priest named Henry Breuil, who spent a lot of time studying these caves. Depending on scientific evidence and the field of study known as ethnography, Breuil proposed that these cave paintings were made in the process of certain rites or rituals. He claims that the prehistoric men believed that in order to gain power over their prey, they had to paint the images of them actually doing so, wherein they kill or hunt their prey.This theory has been considered as the most possible one by most archaeologists and scientists because the prehistoric men solely depended on hunting and gathering as a source of their livelihood and could’ve made any efforts that led them to catch better prey. There is also the fact that we today know very little about the types of lives these people led as there is no recorded evidence that can point to their lifestyle, social interactions, or social dynamics.Another theory suggests that these paintings were made by the people to convey various stories of hunting or so to their descendants. But the knowledge must have been lost in the generational transfer. Many scientists staunchly believe this theory as there are several paintings that point towards the idea of a story, or a series of events, or something of cultural importance being depicted on the walls of Lascaux cave paintings.What does the Hall of Bulls represent?The caves of Lascaux depict a wide range of wild animals which have been painted by hand using various techniques like blowing paint or carving the images directly into the rock with various tools like animal bones and sharp stones. The entrance of the cave is usually lit by sunlight, but the further we go inside the cave, the darker it gets.The main chamber, which is a large circular room inside the cave surrounded by walls on all sides, is known as the Hall of Bulls.The Hall of Bulls depicts four large paintings of aurochs, which is an extinct species of the bull family. These aurochs were used as cattle during the prehistoric age. The painting depicts these bulls and several other animals like horses and deer who appear to be in flight. The painting of the bulls is one of the most identifiable ones in the whole cave due to its accuracy and resemblance to the real animal.The artists have ingeniously depicted these bulls in a side view, but their head is turned around, giving them a realistic feel. This hall represents one of the oldest pieces of finest art made by humankind in a high degree of detail, and it is a wonder how the earliest humans had the idea of making such paintings which are very solid proof of their existence and help us to understand them a little better than before.Why was the Hall of Bulls closed to the public?The Lascaux caves were discovered recently in 1940. Since then, many archaeologists, explorers, and scientists have visited these caves and the Hall of Bulls within it to look at one of the earliest traces of human existence. The Lascaux cave was then opened to the general public by 1948.But in a few years, it was observed that the colors of the paintings were starting to fade because of the setting of artificial lights inside the caves. These Lascaux caves are mostly underground, with very little light reaching inside the main chamber. Archaeologists have theorized from the remains found in the caves that prehistoric men used lamps with animal fat as fuel to lighten the caves while working. The colors of these paintings were starting to fade due to harsh artificial lighting.Further, due to continuous human presence, various algae had started to grow on the surface of the caves, and on the paintings themselves which was destroying such precious work of art. In 1979, UNESCO had inducted Lascaux caves under world heritage sites. Hence, it was necessary to preserve such prehistoric art, which could be done by stopping the human intervention. Hence, the caves, including the Hall of Bulls, were closed to the general public in 1963.But a mere 656 ft (200 m) from the original site, an exact replica of the Lascaux caves have been built for public exploration, where one can see the paintings from the original caves in exact details of what the prehistoric people painted on the walls of Lascaux caves. This tourist destination is called Lascaux II and is open for visitors from the general public all the time.Who founded the Hall of Bulls?On 12th September 1940, four boys jumped inside a hole on the hill situated at Lascaux. A dog belonging to one of the boys had fallen into this hole and in order to find him, they had to jump into the hole. But what they discovered was a surprise to them.The boy named Marcel Ravidat was the first of the four to enter these caves. With the help of small oil lamps, they came across various paintings of animals on stone on the walls of the cave which we can see today that the prehistoric humans painted. Due to their curiosity, they came again the next day and this time prepared themselves to explore the darker and narrower regions of the cave. When they told their discovery to their teacher, the story of mysterious caves spread around the country, and soon, these caves were teeming with archaeologists and explorers from all around the world, to gather evidence of a past which we do not know a lot of.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Hall Of Bulls: Curious Facts On Cave Painting Explained then why not take a look at Where Do Most Earthquakes Occur? Here’s What You Need To Know!, or The Magical Phoenix Bird Meaning And Ancient Symbol Facts Revealed!
Ever heard about the prehistoric wall paintings at the Lascaux caves in France?
