The first humans, our ancestors, who lived thousands of years ago, were not only struggling to survive, they were also carving the first examples of art on the walls. Let’s examine the Lascaux Cave wall paintings and the importance of Lascaux Cave in all details, which we see today as admirable works.
We encounter the first examples of human civilization in the 4th millennium BC. But there were people before. Moreover, these people, whom we see as primitive cavemen, weren’t just trying to somehow survive, they were taking the first steps in today’s art. The murals we saw in Lascaux Cave it reveals the first examples of this art and allows us to have an idea about the first humans.
The Lascaux Cave murals were made thousands of years ago. These works, which are truly unique when we consider the conditions of the period and even today, not only present the first examples of art, but also convey important information about the daily lives of the people who lived in that period. Bride Lascaux Cave murals Let’s examine the importance of Lascaux Cave and the Lascaux Cave in all its details.
The Renaissance of Homo Sapiens: Lascaux Cave
Lascaux Cave is a cave located near the village of Montignac in the Dordogne region in southwest France. In this cave that was discovered by chance There are nearly 600 paintings and murals consisting of more than 1400 engravings. When the history of Lascaux Cave was examined, it was determined that these works were made between 17 thousand and 15 thousand years BC.
The muralists in Lascaux Cave, dated to the Upper Paleolithic, were homo sapiens, considered the first modern humans. In addition to the murals, another noteworthy detail is numerous hand tools and ornaments it happened. Lascaux Cave and its surrounding structures from similar periods were included in the World Cultural Heritage list by UNESCO in 1979.
How and when was Lascaux Cave discovered?
On September 12, 1940, four friends who were running away from school were running in the countryside with their dogs. Running after a fox four friends chasing their dogs, They entered Lascaux Cave and encountered a magical sight. The next day, the children, who entered the cave with their lighting tools and examined every detail, explained this situation to their teachers. After the teacher informed the authorities, work began in the area and Lascaux Cave was opened to the public in 1948.
What’s in Lascaux Cave?
Studies have revealed that the wall paintings in Lascaux Cave were made by Homo sapiens, the first modern human to have lived in the region since 40,000 BC. Figures in cave paintings dated between 17 thousand and 15 thousand BC. Numerous animals reflecting the fauna of the region such as deer, wild ox, mountain goat, bison, lion and bear, many of which are horses, and humans are depicted.
Early humans to illuminate Lascaux Cave animal oil sandstone oil lamps and they used simple fireplaces. Among the many tools found in the cave are flint tools used for engraving, bone tools, deer antlers, and pierced sea creature shells.
After a short entrance, Lascaux Cave opens into a large section called the Hall of the Bulls. when you progress A dead-end room called the Axial Gallery you are encountering. The ceiling paintings of this room are so impressive that experts call it the Prehistoric Sistine Chapel.
How were the murals in Lascaux Cave made?
In the examinations made in Lascaux Cave, it was seen that this place was not a settlement of people. Even if the settlement is made in the small area illuminated at the entrance There was no settlement in the depths of the cave. What this means is that Lascaux Cave is an area used only for making works of art or for some rituals. Perhaps this was the workshop of a prehistoric painter.
Murals in Lascaux Cave red, yellow and black colors predominate. The first painters; red with clay and mustard, yellow with iron oxyhydroxide, black with coal and manganese oxide. They grinded them, mixed them and heated them into paint.
This paint obtained with fingers, branches used as pencils, primitive brushes thought to be made of human hair or moss. and transferred to the wall by blowing paint from a hollow bone. The murals in Lascaux Cave are not only drawings but also carvings. This is the biggest sign that those people are actually making art on the wall.
What do the murals in Lascaux Cave say?
Animals are the most prominent figures in the murals in Lascaux Cave. Along with animals, there are humans and many abstract figures. In the wall paintings, it is possible to see all the creatures belonging to the fauna of the region. Among them are animals, many of which are already extinct.
One of the paintings depicts fleeing cattle and horses. The animals stand sideways but with their horns turned. This fine detail adds realism to the picture. Some of the figures are quite mysterious. For example, there is a pregnant horse with horns on its head. In another example, there is a male animal with panther skin, deer tail, bison humps, and two horns.
In the ceiling painting known as the Prehistoric Sistine Chapel in the Axial Gallery room red aurochs stand with their heads in a circle. A black male bull and one of the hooves of a female aurochs next to him are drawn on the back, creating perspective in the painting. A horse running with its mane swaying in the wind is one of the most impressive wall paintings.
At the back of Lascaux Cave there is a small chamber called the Shaft. Here are a protruding bison, a fluffy rhinoceros, a stick-like bird, and a male with erect genitalia next to them. Although it is not fully understood what According to experts, these are not randomly drawn figures. Our first painter tells a story here.
Significance of Lascaux Cave:
We said that the black color in the Lascaux Cave paintings was obtained with manganese oxide. The strange thing is that the closest manganese oxide deposit to the cave is exactly 250 kilometers away. It is common for people of that period to obtain their materials from afar, but the fact that such a long distance has been traveled only to paint murals indicates that the first painters made a tremendous effort.
The murals found in Lascaux Cave reveal the state of the people of that period and the natural structure in the region. Our ancestors who lived in the Upper Paleolithic period It allows us to get to know the world much more closely. In addition to the wall paintings, we have the opportunity to examine their development thanks to the numerous ornaments and hand tools found in the cave. So much of what we know about that period is the legacy of our ancestors who painted in Lascaux Cave.
How is Lascaux Cavern today?
Lascaux Cave is a natural structure. Inevitably, its natural structure is damaged due to visitors. The cave was closed to visitors in 1963 due to the growth of algae on its walls. However, the fungus still continues to spread inside the cave, causing irreversible damage to the murals. In another cave opened in 1983, 200 meters from Lascaux Cave, copies of the original paintings can be visited.
Homo Sapiens lived through the Renaissance Lascaux Cave murals and we talked about the details you need to know about its importance. You can share your thoughts on the creation of such eye-catching works of art by the people we called primitive thousands of years ago in the comments.
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