One reason why the find was so significant was the sheer number and scale of the artworks that were contained in the cave. The damage done during these years is still being addressed to this day thanks to the work of over 300 historians, archaeologists and scientists hired by the French Government in 2009, with the aim of establishing how to preserve the paintings at Lascaux for future generations.Īn Important Discovery Details of the Lascaux cave painting, including stags, horses and an auroch, via History ![]() The condensation their breath produced also encouraged the growth of mould and fungus on the walls and the powerful spotlights that had been put in the cave to make the paintings visible actually began to cause the pigments – which had to that point held up for almost 20,000 years – to fade. The levels of carbon dioxide produced by the visitors, who came in their thousands to gawp at the ancient artworks, eventually began to lead to their deterioration. By 1955 over a thousand tourists would enter the caves each day! However, the truth was that the cave’s popularity would ultimately lead to their closure from the public in 1963, just fifteen years after they had opened. Visitors flocked to the site in huge numbers. It goes without saying, that the caves became a go-to destination for tourists as peace returned to Europe. German forces had occupied the area when Marcel made his discovery, and it was only after the war had ended and archaeologists had been able to record every detail of the cave and the artwork within, that tourists would be able to venture into the depths of the cave themselves.Ī Tourist Hot-Spot Marcel, bottom right, accompanies an early tour of the cave It was not until eight years after their discovery that the caves were officially opened to be viewed by members of the public. He did so all through the winter of 1940-41 and would go on to be a faithful warden of the Lascaux caves, helping visitors and maintaining the site, until his death in 1989. The boys took this advice seriously and Jacques, at the age of just 14, persuaded his parents to allow him to set up camp by the entrance to keep watch of the cave 24/7 in order to ward off any unwanted visitors. He advised them to prevent anyone going down to the cave, so as to avoid any damage or vandalism to the artworks. Eventually, however, they managed to convince a local historian that they had genuinely found these paintings below the surface. The friends kept the discovery secret for a while and soon charged other children from the village a small admission fee to take a peek. Please check your inbox to activate your subscription Thank you! Keeping it Quiet Georges, Jacques and Marcel Ravidat with their teacher Leon Laval, via French Ministry of Culture The boys later said that they were mesmerised by the ‘ cavalcade of larger than life animals ’ which appeared to dance along the walls. ![]() With the oil in his lamp running out, he and Robot scrambled back out of the caves and went to share the news with his friends Jacques, Georges and Simon. He didn’t know it at the time, but these paintings were over 17,000 years old and he was most likely the first person to have laid eyes on them for a similar amount of time. Thanks to the dim light from a small oil lamp he had with him, Marcel was able to make out a number of animal figures dotted around the ceiling of the cave. Instead, the narrow, 50-foot shaft led to an enormous cave deep below the surface. Initially, Marcel thought that he’d found the legendary secret tunnel that nearby villagers claimed led to a long-lost buried treasure trove.
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