Chauvet Cave: the art of earliest times

Abstract

The Discovery of Chauvet Cave in France's Rhone Valley in 1994 created an international sensation. Its floors were littered with the remains of cave bears, giraffes, auroch, and horses, and its walls displayed fantastic art depicting mammoths, rhinos, and lions--all signs of human occupation dating as far back as the Aurignacian period (37,000-29,000 years BP). No other site exists that is as close in age to the currently accepted date for the appearance of modern humans. Chauvet Cave documents this priceless find. The far-reaching significance of Chauvet Cave has yet to be realized, but the early implications are staggering--it has the earliest known cave paintings, the earliest known footprints from an anatomically modern human, and a fossil record of Pleistocene cave bear skeletons. Based on the first three years of formal study at the site, Chauvet Cave, published in France in 2001 and now in English translation, offers the first in-depth look available to the general public. The text is accessible and the stunning photography speaks for itself, providing an absorbing introduction to one of the most important archaeological finds of the twentieth century. Since its discovery, French archaeological authorities have tightly restricted access to Chauvet Cave. It is unlikely it will ever be opened to more than a handful of specialists. Fortunately, the full-color photographs, maps, and probing text found within the book will allow the rest of us intimate access to the timeless, beautiful images found inside the cave.