Someone painted this rhinoceros on a wall in France's Chauvet Cave about 30,000 years ago. Image courtesy of Wikicommons
Posted on 05/19/2012 6:34:05 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
In 1940, a group of teenagers discovered the paintings of bison, bulls and horses adorning the walls of France's Lascaux Cave. Roughly 17,000 years old, the paintings are Europe's most famous cave art, but hardly the oldest. This week archaeologists announced finding in another cave in France art dating to about 37,000 years ago, making it a candidate for Europe's most ancient artwork. Here's a look at the new discovery and the other top contenders for the title of Europe's oldest work of art. Nerja Caves (possibly about 43,000 years ago)... by Neanderthals, the [humans] that lived in this part of Spain some 40,000 years ago. Abri Castanet (about 37,000 years ago)... by the Aurignacians... Venus of Hohle Fels (35,000-40,000 years ago)... the earliest known Venus figurine. Also in the Swabian Jura, archaeologists have found the Lion Man of Hohlenstein Stadel, an ivory sculpture dated to roughly 30,000 years ago. Chauvet Cave (about 30,000 years ago): Discovered in 1994, Chauvet Cave's paintings stand out among Europe's cave art for their subject matter. In addition to depicting animals that Stone Age people hunted, such as horses and cattle, the wall art shows predators like cave bears, lions and rhinos. The cave's paintings are exceptionally well preserved because tourists -- and the damaging microbes they bring -- aren't allowed inside. But you can still enjoy the breathtaking art by taking a virtual tour of the cave or watching Werner Herzog's 2011 documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.smithsonianmag.com ...
Someone painted this rhinoceros on a wall in France's Chauvet Cave about 30,000 years ago. Image courtesy of Wikicommons
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Looks like an old photo of a young John McCain.
Interior View
40,000 year old cave art.
The Neandertal EnigmaFrayer's own reading of the record reveals a number of overlooked traits that clearly and specifically link the Neandertals to the Cro-Magnons. One such trait is the shape of the opening of the nerve canal in the lower jaw, a spot where dentists often give a pain-blocking injection. In many Neandertal, the upper portion of the opening is covered by a broad bony ridge, a curious feature also carried by a significant number of Cro-Magnons. But none of the alleged 'ancestors of us all' fossils from Africa have it, and it is extremely rare in modern people outside Europe." [pp 126-127]
by James Shreeve
in local libraries
Wow, those prehistorics made nice ballustrades.
Were rhinoceros (rhinoceri?) wandering around France 30,000 years ago?
No, the artist was only recounting what he saw on his safari to Africa. :)
Not only were they wandering around, *they* are the ones responsible for the cave art self-portraits!!!
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