Paleolithic

7 pictures of our ancient ancestors’ stunning cave paintings

It's been 80 years since four teenagers discovered the Lascaux cave paintings in Montignac, France.

by JoAnna Wendel
Updated: 
Originally Published: 

On September 12, 1940, one of the best examples of paleolithic art was revealed to the world.

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After rescuing their dog from a small cavern in the woods, four French teenagers decided to explore further. They found a vast cavern, its walls adorned with images of animals and humans.

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The Lascaux cave paintings date back 15,000 to 17,000 years ago, and were made with natural pigments like red and yellow ochre and black magnesium oxide.

Here are 7 pictures of these ancient paintings from inside the Lascaux cave.

Cave Painting of Black Bull, Lascaux, France.

Universal History Archive / Contributor

Bull and Cattle. Detail of a cave painting. Franco-Cantabrian, Upper Palaeolithic period, 15,000-10,000 BC. Left wall of the rotunda in the cave at Lascaux (Dordogne), France.

Universal History Archive / Contributor

Cave Painting of Chinese Horse, Lascaux, France.

Universal History Archive / Contributor

France - Aquitaine - Decorated Caves of the Vezere Valley (UNESCO World Heritage List, 1979). Lascaux Cave, restoration intervention on upper Paleolithic cave painting.

DEA / C. SAPPA / Contributor

Lascaux Cave, Dordogne, France.

Gilles RIGOULET / Contributor

Cave Painting Man and Bison, Lascaux, France.

Universal History Archive / Contributor

Cave Painting of Cow & Horses, Lascaux, France.

Universal History Archive / Contributor

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