Lascaux cave paintings

Are unicorns real? This photo by Sacred Destinations shows a cave wall painting depicting an unknown animal that has been called the unicorn.

In 1940, the discovery of the Lascaux stone age cave paintings near Brive la Gaillarde in southwestern France revolutionized the way humans conceived of our ancient ancestors.

The finders of the stone age art were children, looking for their dog.

The caves were opened to the public for tours in 1948. Unfortunately the effects of masses of visitors and artificial lighting had damaging effects on these priceless and ancient artifacts. The caves were closed to the public in 1963 so that restoration of the site could begin.

In 1979, UNESCO designated the caves at Lascaux and nearby a World Heritage Site. Of course people wanted to see the caves, and they were not disappointed. A project was undertaken to create a replica. This took ten years, opened in 1983 and became known as Lascaux II.

The amazingly beautiful wall art at Lascaux has been ascertained by carbon dating to be about 17,000 years old. The paintings, mostly of animals, employ the natural shape of the caves to give a three-dimensional look to the figures. In addition to the paintings, animal remains and many other artifacts were found at the site. A virtual tour is available here.

Experts believe the cave was a sacred place to the people who produced the artists. Author Jean M. Auel has incorporated into her most recent Ayla novel some thrilling scenes of sacred ritual in a painted cave. Her sixth book of the series Earth's Children, The Land of Painted Caves, came out this year (Crown Publishing, New York, 2011).