Cave Paintings Gallery

Lascaux II cave painting replica

Lascaux II replica of a Lascaux cave painting. These are deer and auroch figures in the Great Hall of the Bulls'. The original Lascaux cave was closed to the public in 1963. The full-scale Lascaux II replica opened nearby in 1983. The Lascaux cave paintings in south-western France, around 17, 000 years old, were painted by Cro-Magnon man, an early European culture of modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens), using red, brown and yellow ochre, and black manganese dioxide. They may have had religious and artistic significance. Photographed in 2010

© PHILIPPE PSAILA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Cave art paintings, prehistoric discovery

A cave painting of small brown and red stags with horses, composed in Greek style, between two large black bull heads. Cave art discoveries in the Dordogne were by the Aurignacians who sought refuge in the latter part of the Glacial Age, 20000 years ago

© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10215369

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Woolly rhinoceros

Woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis). Artist's impression of a woolly rhinoceros. This extinct mammal existed during the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs, 1.8 million years to 10, 000 years ago. It was widespread throughout the tundra of northern Eurasia until the end of the last Ice Age. It was well adapted to harsh cold conditions with thick, shaggy fur, small ears, short legs and a massive body to conserve heat loss. Cave paintings made by early humans 30, 000 years ago show woolly rhinoceros as well as other large mammals. The woolly rhinoceros grew up to 2 metres tall at the shoulder and 3.5 metres long. It had two horns, the longer, front horn reached up to 1 metre long

© CHRISTIAN DARKIN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY