When
the prehistoric cave paintings of Lascaux were discovered in 1940, they created
a sensation. Over the decades, thousands
flocked to see the famous pot-bellied horses – so many, in fact, that the
paintings started to deteriorate. The
French government created an imitation cave with duplicate drawings and that’s
what tourists visit today.
When
the Chauvet Grotto was discovered twenty years ago, the government decided to
avoid its earlier mistake. Even older
and more spectacular than Lascaux, the Grotto and its 36,000-year-old paintings
were sealed off from all but a few scientists and artists.
The
Grotto is at the end of the Gorge d’Ardeche, a steep, winding gorge cut by the
Ardeche River. Val and I visited the
Grotto’s museum a few years ago, reaching it via a terrifying drive along the
narrow-two lane road cut into the cliff walls. There were no guardrails and it was an
800-foot drop straight down. My palms
still get sweaty when I think about it.
A
new museum complex opened last year, with a full recreation of the grotto and
its paintings. We went the other day and
it was well worth the trip (and we made sure to take a different road.)
Some
of the paintings are primitive but others are remarkably modern and
beautiful. It is hard to believe what
art our ancestors were able to create with only primitive tools.
Words don’t do the paintings justice so I’ll add some photos below.
As
an industrial engineer (ok, I admit it), I was impressed by the incredibly
efficient logistics of cave management. Thousands of people go through it each day, in small
groups that somehow all keep quiet and don’t run into each other. Frederick Taylor would be proud.
The
adjoining museum explains the history of the cave, the region, and humanity’s development
in Europe. It has full-sized recreations
of many of the prehistoric animals painted in the caves, like wholly
rhinos. And there are “ask the scientist”
kiosks where famous scientists answer questions in a very engaging way.
It
all made for a fun and interesting day. As
we were leaving, Val said, “This is the kind of thing the French do really
well.”
KVS
The gorge
A cave wall
Some of the paintings
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