Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
reach ceilings and high walls, ground up minerals with a mortar and pestle, mixed paints,
tended the torches and oil lamps, prepared the “paintbrushes,” laid out major outlines with
a connect-the-dots series of points...then stepped aside for Magdalenian Michelangelos to
ascend the scaffolding and create.
Dating:
Determining exactly how old this art is—and whether it's authentic—is
tricky. (Because much of the actual paint is mineral-based with no organic material,
carbon-dating techniques are often ineffective.) As different caves feature different anim-
als, prehistorians can deduce which caves are relatively older and younger, since climate
change caused various animal species to come and go within certain regions. In several
cases, experts confirmed the authenticity of a painting because the portrayals of the anim-
als showed anatomical details not previously known—until they were discovered by mod-
ern technology. (For instance, in Grotte de Rouffignac, the mammoths are shown with a
strange skin flap over their anus, which was only discovered during the 20th century on a
preservedmammothfoundinSiberianpermafrost.)Theycanalsoestimatedatesbycheck-
ing the amount of calcium glaze formed over the paint, which can sometimes only be seen
by infrared photography.
Why?:
No one knows the purpose of the cave paintings. Interestingly, the sites the
artists chose were deliberately awe-inspiring, out of the way, and special. They knew their
