Lascaux

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Today I visited Lascaux. The famous cave paintings have actually been off limits to visitors since 1963, but there is a new (2017) full-scale replica of the cave contained in a museum that IS open to the public (see photo). I got my ticket online two months ago and I'm glad I did because the place was swamped with tourists. The crowds detracted from the experience a bit, but to see the paintings up close was exciting. (It is easy to forget that they are copies.) Cameras are not allowed inside, but there are replicas of the more famous paintings in the main building, so I took pictures of those (see photos). These paintings were done by Cro-Magnon man (see photo) around 15,000 - 20,000 years ago. These were Homo sapiens like you and me, i.e. not Neanderthals. The people did not live in the caves, but instead reserved them for art and probably religious ceremonies. No one knows why they made these particular pictures, but planning, effort, and artistic skill went into them. And a series of fortunate events preserved them. There are many limestone caves in this area, but a few, like Lascaux, were blocked by rockslides after they had been used by prehistoric man. This prevented the intrusion of later people and also mold spores, changes in humidity, and other damaging conditions. In fact, that is why the original Lascaux is now off limits - its paintings were affected by fungus and humidity brought in by visitors in the fifteen years that it was open to the public. I am hoping to visit one more cave before I leave the area, but tomorrow I have something a little more outdoorsy in mind.

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