Lascaux Cave Paintings�and�Paleolithic Societies
By Nicole Gubany
Paleolithic Society
How the Lascaux Cave Paintings Where Discovered
The Lascaux cave paintings where discovered by four boys and a dog in September 1940 In Lascaux France. These four boys were not actually in search of the cave paintings they where in search of a tunnel that lead under a river linking the Castle of Montignac and the Manor of Lascaux. Their dog Robot ran ahead and found a deep depression in the ground covered in over growth. The boys thought that maybe this deep hole lead to the tunnels. When they got down to the cave they were astonished by what the saw. In fact one of the boys said
“cavalcade of animals larger than life painted on the walls and ceiling of the cave; each animal seemed to be moving.”
Lascaux
Lascaux is common for Paleolithic cave paintings, they are found in caves in the Dordogne region of southwest France. By there exceptional quality and there size they are estimated to be up to 20,000 years old. The paintings are mostly filled with large animals on the walls and ceilings. Lascaux is located in the Vezere Valley where other caves have been found since the 20th century.
WHY
Why where these amazing paintings created? No one really knows, some say its ritual, while others say they wanted to tell us something. Still others may argue that they were a form of communication, and others state it was to improve the hunt.
Was it magic, was it spirituality, or was it something more? We may never know, but these great masterpieces are more than history, they are a work of ART.
Conclusion
In conclusion we don’t know the TRUE reasons for the paintings, there are many guesses but one thing we know for sure they were the beginning of art.
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