Chauvet cave: Preserving prehistoric art - BBC News

The Chauvet cave, in the Ardeche region of southern France, contains some of the oldest and most remarkable cave drawings ever found - yet it's been sealed shut since its discovery to preserve this precious art. Now a vast replica of the cave and its spectacular paintings has been built. Our science correspondent, Rebecca Morelle, can compares the two versions, because she's been given extremely rare access to the original cave.
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[@thatsnoice_tn]

Just the thought of having the cave open to the public gives me anxiety. Such amazing art and history. Creating the replica was a great idea!

[@BBCNews]

The beautiful cave paintings in southern France sealed off from the world for 20,000 years bbc.in/1d8a5pC

[@megmoses328]

art has always been part of man for power, and beauty

[@megmoses328]

i hope one day, all we be able to see , so sad not the real one

[@megmoses328]

for the spirits of people are what makes it feel

[@megmoses328]

the real cave, the real man, the real spirits, nothing else will do,, please discover a way for all of us to share, the real cave,,

[@DavidBilla]

Meg Moses Lascaux is in a terrible shape because it was open to the public. Those caves are not tourist destinations, they're not for our entertainment or selfish pleasure.

[@joebender3662]

Kudos to the farsighted people who thought of doing this and funding it

[@tribalbabymum]

BRILLIANT! a wonderful way for many people to see these priceless antiquities of the peoples of the past.

[@gloriag3991]

back in 8th grade my journalism teach showed us a documentary on this cave & it was just fascinating. On my bucket list to visit it since

[@svendbosanvovski4241]

This is a truly wonderful initiative. I knew from Werner Hertzog's wonderful documentary, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, that the Chauvet cave would be sealed and not available to the general public. The days where you could scamper up Uluru or the pyramids, or play hide and seek in the Colosseum are over. Fortunately we now have the technical means to replicate the experience.

[@voltage446]

@@mikshinee87speak for yourself, moron.

[@erikm8372]

I might be wrong, lol. I’m an American and never been to Uluru myself-but I thought people (ignorantly) still scampered up the rock, and used it as a toilet and all manner of unsavory things? Then when the rains come, all the waste gets washed down, forming toxic, anaerobic and stagnant pools of algae and deadly bacteria. Then animals drink it and die. People don’t heed the warnings not to climb, more or less... I was under the impression that there’s a mere sign “advising” visitors not to climb Uluru because of its ancient religious significance, a sign which people largely brush past as they continue to climb.

[@johnhunter2058]

Well done~! This way we have the cave and eat it too ...

[@pacificswell]

Absolutely amazing! Carbon dating disputes has put this between 28,000-37,000 years ago, but that also puts Homo-sapiens migrating into the region about the same time. This was an artist most definitely, but who painted it is the million dollar question.

[@pilargonzalez8442]

Oh my goodness how gorgeous

[@purpleey]

When ancient cavemen with nothing but rocks can draw better than me 💀

[@IsuriniSirisena23]

its so fantastic and statistical

[@lawrencegroves8307]

I remember studying this in 2011.

[@garypautard1069]

What astonishes me is the cave painters used bumps and crevices on the walls to give a 3D effect on their drawings . It's been theorized that early people were of course part of the harsh life and death cycle of their environment and the creatures painted could be seen brothers and sisters to them. Just a thought.

[@cinnamonstar808]

because its fake. The real history is more amazing + an impossible journey from the bottom. The main reason for the harsh life an being stuck in a cave = is due to not listening or adhere to warnings. hundreds were sent to bring them back into the fold. when i hear the story ( i think it was a mind virus)

[@Allworldsk1]

My amazing ancestors. 👏🏻👏🏻👌🏻💯

[@eusmilusbidentatus7101]

it's worth seeing the replica and the Aurignac gallery with its paleaofauna such a bison, a giant deer, european lions and a wooly rhino; Paleo-Ardèche during the upper paleolithic age ! But you can visit the Vallon Pont D'arc, the Ardèche canyon, the Ibie valley, Vogüé...

[@MayaMaya-tj7kw]

You can see a replica onlinr

[@oceanaakaddharstagh2801]

What a beauty!

[@zawminoo9824]

Bb

[@HiHi-gh6mg]

for realsy

[@benstevinson764]

Charcoal Was Used by our Neolithic Ancestors in Cave Art

[@svaq8390]

Pani od historii kazała mi obejrzeć, pozdrawiam

[@andrewhay2241]

Belle.

[@mariaanderson2560]

THX V MUCH

[@Stingrr]

Anyone here after Tom Scott video?

[@jaffro1325]

yeah interesting how there's literally a video of the original cave

[@rg31404]

video starts at 0:46

[@volodymyrdubina7443]

10.03.2021 I have already done the task to watch this video

[@dragonfox2.058]

one of the earliest myths was that all life came form the Mother Earth, which, of course, It did. I see the ancients as making sure this wouldn't stop by drawing and painting the animals back into the grottoes. I don't think art has ever transcended these amazing images

[@triclopsgamer5934]

That's Cool.

[@danielstark6249]

Wish someone would measure the acoustics of the various places here- so that a musician could experience the same sound effects while playing… and get the feel of it ( without going in of course. They have recreated other caves outside. 3D scanning - in acoustics

[@hydrogenperoxide69]

I feel like I’m on a Dynamic earth tour.. If you get it. Your a legend.

[@abacus749]

Picasso lived in Mougins - 40 mins.away for many years...........

[@jenchrollin6035]

im here for my art homework

[@sydneypetersen5425]

same lol

[@kou-nyancat1470]

same XD

[@Anonymous-qx1vd]

I can't paint like the "wild" humans did

[@PeaceDweller]

It seems as if those engravings depicted the ancient European Cave Lion

[@Jonas-jx3kw]

yup

[@annalisette5897]

Cave paintings are some of the finest art ever produced! Where I live in the U.S. we have lots of limestone. Some of the best cement in the world is made 40 miles from my home. For whatever reason we don't seem to have nice caves like those in Europe. Native Americans, at least in my area, did not have caves like that in which to produce artwork.

[@thaleis]

I can’t speak for the others countries but in France, almost every prehistorical painted caves (like Lascaux or Chauvet) are usually located in the same regions like in Dordogne or Ariège... Theses places have somewhat identical specificities in terms of climate or hydrometry. Plus they were hidden in deep forests and rocks after thousands years since the men living there leave to become the proto-historical people of France. They remain closed until they were discovered in a totally random way and were very difficult to reach. Lascaux cave was found out and explored by teenagers who were speleology amateurs (like a lot of people in the area) and because they were searching for their dog who enter the cave by a small secondary channel... I don’t know the place you evoked in your comment but maybe the conditions of preservation were not the same.

[@annalisette5897]

@@thaleis Thanks for the information. In my part of the U.S. we don't have caves like those in France even though we have lots of limestone. I think there are deeper caves in other parts of the U.S. but so far as I know, no cave paintings like those in Europe have been found. There are some cave paintings in Mexico and Central America I think. In my area, indigenous people did create some interesting rock art which is above ground.

[@johnh.mcsaxx3637]

A cave in tbe United States was found to have cave paintings. At some point the cave was flooded, but the paintings were not destroyed.

[@annalisette5897]

@@johnh.mcsaxx3637 Interesting! Where is this?

[@johnh.mcsaxx3637]

@@annalisette5897 It's at Winnemucca. Winnemucca Lake dried up, and it revealed prehistoric rock art underneath the former depths. The art is believed to be up to 14,800 years old. Aside from that, there's some other sites. Under Lake Michigan is a large stone containing a depiction of a mastodon or mammoth. La Mina cave, now underwater, also had an ochre mine, used to produce the paint materials. And finally, while the next one isn't from North America, it's worth mentioning here. A cave in spain has been found to be made by Neanderthals.

[@НатальяМазурова-х8к]

Помогите оиветить на вопрос: Какие изменения в эмоционально-психологическом состоянии и социальной жизни первобытного человека свидетельствуют наскальные рисунки? не понимаю англ

[@juliaanfloress]

Es fácil amigo, indican que las personas le daban importancia a la naturaleza, no hay ninguna representación de humanos en esas pinturas, por lo que se puede suponer que el centro de atención de las personas, casi religioso, era la naturaleza

[@jasonmason2471]

So where is the replica?

[@SuperLn1991]

Not far away from the real cave (exact location is "secret") near the village of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, Ardèche, France.

[@khelan-ibrahim]

astonished ,actually😐

[@dougr.2398]

The reproduction is so good that we don’t know which cave the photos were from

[@mermaidsong4072]

Just this word before I go, what if the people recreating the cave and cave art now were reincarnated from the actual cave dwellers who created these cave paintings so very long ago.

[@MemekingJag]

could well have. humans as we know ourselves have been around for at least ~250,000 years, and we weren't even the first ones to use tools or harness fire, that was our hominid ancestor. 99% of our history happened before civilisation, it wouldn't be a shock to me if these paintings were say, imitations of another tribe's art that was from thousands of years before then.

[@yaasiinaburas8110]

yaasiin aburaas

[@airesartz7196]

''You can probably find cave painting thousands of years ago with hentai scribbled on their walls''. -penguinz

[@Unkl_Bob]

It would be interesting to see a study done to the scratch marks on the walls .. The art is spectacular but those scratches are not new graffiti

[@spookypisces]

neat

[@gabriellebernard198]

Its Disney Land for the Flintstones

[@erikm8372]

I love that they built a fake cave as a museum! For a while I was wondering, are people visiting the actual caves? Couldn’t be good for the artwork or the structure of the cave…

[@Anthony-kc4jo]

🇫🇷

[@Brie.açaí]

Ayo, wassup Fine arts, aka ms.Edwards class....anyway, hiiii

[@hamzaalmdghri8741]

These non-Aryan Indo-European human groups are like Etruscans, Minoans, and Terraeus And Imazighen AKA Berbers

[@dgkwigga7768]

Anyone else here from Rmcad?😂

[@marilynwommatakimmi1569]

A

[@hammyred919]

U will only find this in europe

[@randymarsh1729]

lots in south east asia lol

[@TheMazz1234]

Euro ones look better lol

[@jroberto7143]

+100 tucán místico

[@НатальяМазурова-х8к]

Кто-то может это на русский перевести?

[@nurankoc2875]

This primitive artist has never drawn people and objects. I wonder why?

[@SuperLn1991]

It's rare but they drawn people

[@sandrablackmon2222]

Some people even today think a drawing (picture or print) captures a part of the person's spirit if it is on a drawing. I am thinking if there are pictures of people, they were pictures of deceased people. BS in biocultural anthropology

[@pratikkulkarnibodybuilding9225]

its not the same if you just make a replica and draw the paintings by someone else its fake . the real ones have soul in it which you cant find in replica

[@chucku00]

The problem is carbon dioxide emitted by visitors has the exact same effect on the limestone and painting than it has on the great coral reef : crating acid that dissolves everything. So the replica presents the advantage to preserve the original.

[@nampam3945]

Limit access so its less likely to be exposed as a complete fraud.

[@emmanuelperez9490]

To put this into perspective, these images had already been there for more than 25,000 years when Noah started to build his ark.... amazing, right?

[@emmanuelperez9490]

@Ms. Tal a very important person from the Book of Genesis.

[@elimalinsky7069]

Only that Noah's Ark is mythology, not history. You can't possibly believe it to be true, or else I will tell you about the fairies in my garden, the elves in my basement and the boggarts in my attic.

[@sitio6918]

There was no noah's ark

[@wotsitalabowt]

You're joking I hope

[@emmanuelperez9490]

@@wotsitalabowt go away if you're an atheist.

[@alankuligowski2431]

vomit. "she was busy wiping sick from the carpet" :))))))))))))) XD

[@no.comply4787]

well i am now put off ever visiting. wanted to see the art created by people thousands of years ago. not the re-creation of art created thousands of years ago. why did they make it so modern. the camera man with the head torch had the perfect amount of light to appreciate what was in the ACTUAL cave without giving the impression of being under a skylight -_-

[@SuperLn1991]

Because opening the real cave to public would destroy it. And it has to be so modern and full of light inside so people with wheelchair or bad eyesight could enjoy it too, not only you. Plus, I went their, they are hundred of people visiting it every days during summer, it has to be practicle and safe. Everybody would prefer to see the real one, but it's not possible if you want it to be safe for again 300000 years. It would be egoist towards the future generations.

[@GavStaR79]

@@SuperLn1991 Well they could in the real cave construct some kind of air tight glass that people could look through. ..sort of like a museum. At least they'd be seeing the real thing. I despise replicas of anything.....replica is the fancy word for fake and copy. Not and never will be interested in going to see in real life- reconstructions.....can see that on tv instead. In real life...I want to see the real thing.

[@SuperLn1991]

@@GavStaR79 This art is much more important than your desire. Do you know this cave? it's huge, not practicle, wet etc... what you suggest is completly un realistic. For people like you (and me): without enough knowledge replicas are sufficiant. And it's also a matter of respect of the place: glass? buildings ways??? you need to destroy half of it for this

[@GavStaR79]

@@SuperLn1991 Well i'm not an engineer and perhaps this is not feasible. My point was if there was a way they could still showcase the actual monument yet protect it - than that would be ideal. That's all I am saying. In no way, would I put my selfish desire to see it over the preservation of this cave.

[@stonale3669]

@@GavStaR79 That will eventually happen. Future generations will see it firsthand with their advance technology. But not us , our generation work is to preserve it.

[@Amazonkiller65]

The arrogance of scientists is sickening. Who gives them the right to seal off this cave from others??? This should be enjoyed by everyone!

[@TheExplorder]

Havent you seen the video?

[@acacia8261]

Better being arrogant than stupid

[@c.odubhlaoich2948]

I'm totally fine with this decision. There are definitely people out there that would destroy them whether just by having so much traffic that (as she said) it would disrupt the environment or whether on purpose. And honestly Europe has a lot of issues with foreigner especially, destroying relics or art work when they come.

[@SilverEye91]

It would destroy it you moron!

[@spraakkanon]

It damages the paintings

[@davidr8980]

Why would you want to go to see a fake cave painting lol.

[@MemekingJag]

why would you go look at art behind glass.

[@s.p.8803]

It's not that difficult to understand

[@mxgzsheees]

uhm hello this is cave art

[@MemekingJag]

...yes

[@dumbledore192]

French way of herding Eiffel Tower tourists to the new tourist trap

[@McCainnn]

stupid comment

[@missfeedie2868]

Why not allow people to se the original art?

[@jessicadenisseg]

To preserve it. If you have people going in there daily, the light and the air being exhaled will cause the paint to decay. They noticed this when they had opened it to the public when it was discovered.

[@susanleffingwell3392]

well......the film clip above tells us why.....

[@shanelim6036]

I can see the point on opening the cave to public will bring negative impact to the heritage site no matter how well is the protection guides. On he other hand, replica always not able to present the original authenticity. Well, there is nothing perfect in life. Bend ourselves a little bit for mutual acceptable outcome.

[@johnh.mcsaxx3637]

Because tourists can spread a type of mold when they enter the cave. The mold can then damage the paintings heavily.

[@katyaflippinov9197]

@@johnh.mcsaxx3637 I visited the caves of Skyline Drive in Virginia, USA. There were large, ugly, dark green spots of mold growing on the walls. This was the result of those caves being open to public tours. There are no paintings in those caves--just beautiful limestone features. It was sad to see even that destroyed.

[@taxman9999]

What a stupid idea. Just go into the real one......

[@MemekingJag]

did you even watch the video lol

[@s.p.8803]

Why are people like you so eager to advertise their ignorance and st*pidity?

[@lordpickle8424]

Genetic analysis done on ancient remains from around the world have shown that present day 'Europeans' have absolutely no relation at all to the earliest people of Europe. The results also show that those earliest people had dark skin and that those true Europeans remained dark skinned until settlers from the Middle East settled Europe around 10,000 years ago and absorbed and ultimately completely replaced the 'Europeans' at the time. So if present day 'Europeans' have no relation at all to the earliest people and that those true Europeans had dark skin, then what's all the fake news about a false 'migrant' 'crisis' about?

[@jasonmason2471]

What are you talking about? Do you mean the the first homo sapiens who entered " European" territory around 40000 years ago? They cannot be distinguished from later immigrants, so you cannot say their genome does not exist in modern homo sapiens. Do you mean earlier? Those "Europeans" were Neanderthals and their genome is very well distinguished, so your wrong. Their skin colour is unknown, but one can presume that immigrants from the "middle east", who ultimately came from South of the Sahara belt or from todays' Algeria and Marocco, where darker skinned that the Neanderthals who lived in "Europe" for about 200'000 years.

[@TheMazz1234]

I smell ‘we waz kangz and shiettt’ from this comment 😂

[@lordpickle8424]

@@TheMazz1234 Yeah, skinheads tend to think stuff like that.

[@EvaLapinska]

Flinstons theme disneyland in french source just for 55 millions - new legal way to waste taxes of European citizens: DDD imagine, how much hungry children could feed all around the world on these wasted millions?!

[@SuperLn1991]

culture is never a waste. and the project created a lot of new jobs.

[@heightsofsagarmatha]

@@SuperLn1991 if it's so valuable they should be able to raise it without wasting tax dollars. $55 M for a soulless replica???

[@superfastjellyfish78]

European participation is 10M (which includes a big part of French money as France is one of the two major donator in Europe, with Germany), the rest comes from France: local money and regional money + Minister of culture (french taxes). So it's the french people who payed somehing like 80% of the total amount to make it. I'm French and I agree with that. I also agree to spend money for hungry children, my taxes are also used for that.

[@McCainnn]

Please tell me how much of your money you give to the hungry chidren ? Surely nothing ? So the best you have to do is to shut up !

[@VVhistory]

I strongly believe that the cave is ancient but the artwork isn't. I am a little skeptical about how the discovery of the cave unfolded and how long it took for it to be approved by archeology associations at the time, when a cave contains art you instantly get government protection but the three people who discovered had to convince others that it was legit. Shady stuff...

[@ryancruz1876]

Are you joking? 🤨

[@katyaflippinov9197]

@@ryancruz1876 Sad, isn't it? No knowledge. Much opinion.

[@tuppyT]

@@katyaflippinov9197 agree with you guys, who spends 55million replicating a fake🙄

[@spraakkanon]

carbon dating

[@jasonmason2471]

@vincent. Well guess what: the paintings lie under a layer of lime, so no modern punk could have drawn them. They are original, enchanting, and in my experience more impressive than Lascaux.

[@butterchuggins5409]

55 million just to replicate some drawings that look like a 4th grader made them. Why does it need to be promoted? That money could have saved thousands of lives. What an extravagant waste.

[@TheMazz1234]

Haha why you salty ? Time will never forget them, as for you, who’s going to remember your sorry ass 😂

[@imstevemcqueen]

Ridiculous,

[@AYAHUASCAPSY]

This is funny..

[@POUTAANAS_GIOS_POUTIN]

Fake drawings