On September 12, 1940, four French teens stumbled upon the Lascaux Cave, which would become the discovery of the century. Inside the caverns were some of the world’s most detailed and stunning cave paintings. The Lascaux Cave letters were later produced by anthropologists who studied the caves. Here they would give their assessment and explain the significance of this discovery. Among them was renowned archeologist Abbé Henri Breuil who noted these paintings contain images of animals that existed over 17,000 years ago.
What Does the Lascaux Cave Letters Say?
Amidst the turmoil of WWII, a group of teenagers were exploring the Montignac countryside where they stumbled upon a cave that would soon become one of the greatest archeological finds of the century, the Lascaux Cave. Rather than being an empty chamber, the cave was filled with over 600 cave paintings and 1,5000 engravings. Among the images, these images were depictions of Ice Age animals like bulls, deer, and even extinct species like aurochs.
Researchers who studied the paintings determined that they were created over 17,000 years ago during the Upper Paleolithic period. Aside from being well-preserved, this image shows that our ancient ancestors were capable of artistic skills and cultural complexity. This was unheard of since many believed that our ancestors simply worked to survive with little time for anything else. This surprise can be seen in the Lascaux Cave letters
Among the researchers was Abbé Henri Breuil, a skilled archaeologist and expert in prehistoric art. He became one of the first scholars to examine the cave. He was one of the main writers of the Lascaux Cave letters. His analysis was what helped establish Lascaux as the greatest example of Paleolithic cave art ever found.
Because of that Lascaux Cave is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, although the physical site is closed to visitors to prevent the art from being damaged.
His assessment of the Lascaux Cave letters can be seen here.
“The Lascaux Cave contains paintings that are among the most detailed and sophisticated of all known prehistoric art. The artists demonstrated a high degree of observation and technical skill, representing animals with remarkable realism and depth.”
—Abbé Henri Breuil, Archiologist.
But while this is an amazing discovery, it is important to note that WWII was still raging around the continent and that people were fighting for their freedom like in the case of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
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