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Publish at November 29 1999 Updated December 03 2025
The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc cave: a discovery that overturns concepts of cave art
400 Paleolithic paintings and engravings
In the absence of any documentation on prehistory, speleological explorations are the only way to reconstruct the history of ancient times.
Tools, bones, everyday objects, carvings, sculptures and figurative works are the only traces that allow us to add a link to the chain.
The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc cave is a relatively recent discovery: December 1994. Located at Vallon-Pont-d'Arc in the Ardèche region of France, it is the work of Jean-Marie Chauvet, Eliette Brunel-Deschamps and Christian Hillaire, and is now one of the "classic" caves of cave art.
Totally intact, the cave is an exceptional object of study. The paintings are the oldest ever discovered. What's more, this observation overturns all previously accepted concepts to explain the genesis and development of cave art.
Over 400 Paleolithic paintings and engravings have been found, representing a highly original and varied bestiary: mammoths, rhinoceroses, lions, horses, bison, bears, reindeer, aurochs, ibexes, an engraved owl and several dozen undetermined animals.
Numerous traces of human activity (fires, carved flint, footprints) have been reported, but no images of humans. Bear paintings are ubiquitous, as are scattered and sometimes piled-up bones, relatively well-preserved skeletons and several dozen skulls. In 1999, the human footprints of a boy aged between 8 and 10 were reported to be the oldest in Europe.
The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc cave site features paintings of remarkable visual quality. What's more, it allows us to follow the process that an archaeologist must undergo to authenticate the object of these discoveries.
The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc cave is hosted by the Grands sites archéologiques. So there's no end to your virtual tour, as several other caves are part of the itinerary. From prehistory to the Middle Ages, the history of mankind is presented to you by leading specialists.
Discover other major archaeological sites on culture.fr
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