Atlas AnatoliaAtlas Anatolia
Paleolithic paintings of horses in the Hall of the Bulls, Lascaux

Lascaux

Grotte de Lascaux17000 BCE – 13000 BCE
8

Interest

Paleolithic

Date of paintings

c. 17,000–15,000 BCE

Images

~600 paintings and 1,500 engravings

Discovery

12 September 1940

Closed to public

1963 (algae and fungal damage from CO₂)

Replica (Lascaux IV)

Opened 2016, full-scale cave replica

UNESCO

World Heritage Site (Vézère Valley) since 1979

“Lascaux demonstrates that the cognitive capacity for complex representational art — accurate naturalistic depiction of movement, overlapping perspective, composite scenes — was fully developed in humans at least 17,000 years ago, and probably much earlier.”

Overview

Lascaux is a cave system in the Vézère Valley, Dordogne, southwestern France, 1.5 km north of the village of Montignac. It was discovered on 12 September 1940 by four teenagers following a fox into a shaft. The cave contains approximately 600 paintings and 1,500 engravings covering a total surface area of roughly 250 square meters. The images — dated to c. 17,000–15,000 BCE by radiocarbon dating of charcoal and by thermoluminescence dating of flint tools — depict horses (the most numerous subject), aurochs, stags, bison, bears, a rhinoceros, a bird, and a unique scene (the "Shaft Scene") showing a bird-headed human figure alongside a wounded bison and a rhinoceros. The pigments used were mineral-based — ochre, iron oxide, manganese dioxide, charcoal — mixed with animal fat and applied with pads, brushes, and by blowing through tubes. Some images exploit the natural relief of the rock to create three-dimensional illusions. Lascaux was opened to the public in 1948 but was closed in 1963 after the CO₂ and humidity from visitors' breath caused the growth of algae and fungi across the paintings. A precise replica (Lascaux II) opened 200 m from the original cave in 1983; an enhanced full-cave replica (Lascaux IV) opened in 2016.

Why It Matters

Lascaux demonstrates that the cognitive capacity for complex representational art — accurate naturalistic depiction of movement, overlapping perspective, composite scenes — was fully developed in humans at least 17,000 years ago, and probably much earlier. The paintings are not primitive: the aurochs at Lascaux are rendered with an understanding of animal anatomy and movement that would not be surpassed for millennia. The "Shaft Scene" — a man, a bird, a wounded bison, and a rhinoceros — is the oldest known narrative scene in human art, possibly depicting a hunt, a myth, or a vision. The decision to close Lascaux to public access in 1963 — the first time a major heritage site was closed to protect it — established a precedent for conservation over tourism that shaped policy worldwide.

Stay curious

New stories and sites, once a month. No spam.

Evidence & Interpretation

Distinguishing what is well-established from what remains debated.

Well-Established Facts

2
  • Radiocarbon dating of charcoal fragments associated with the paintings and accelerator mass spectrometry dating of organic material in the pigments gives a date range of c. 17,000–15,000 BCE for the main painted sequences.
  • Mineral analysis of the pigments confirms they are ochre (yellow and red iron oxides), manganese dioxide (black), and charcoal, consistent with known Magdalenian pigment technology. No organic binders survive, but fats and oils are assumed from ethnographic parallels.

Scholarly Inferences

1
  • The "Shaft Scene" — the only narrative composition at Lascaux, showing a wounded bison, a bird-headed human, and a rhinoceros — is interpreted by most scholars as depicting a hunting accident or shamanic vision, but the exact meaning is unknown.

Debated Interpretations

1
  • Several researchers have proposed that some compositions at Lascaux represent star maps or seasonal astronomical charts, based on claimed correspondences between animal groupings and constellations. This interpretation is not accepted by mainstream archaeoastronomers.

More Photos

Museum Artifacts

Community Photos

Share your experience

Have you visited this site? Upload your photos to help others discover it.

Location

Sources

  • Lascaux: The Final Photographs — Mario Ruspoli (1987)
  • Ministère de la Culture — LascauxLink

Research Papers

PreviousKonya (Iconium)
NextLeptis Magna

Stay in the loop

Get notified when we add new sites or major features. We send at most 1–2 emails per year. We never sell your email.

Atlas AnatoliaAtlas Anatolia

An interactive atlas of the ancient world. Explore archaeological sites, civilizations, monuments, and stories from every continent.

info@atlasanatolia.com

© 2026 Atlas Anatolia. Content is provided for educational purposes.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors