The famous Lascaux cave paintings were discovered near Montignac, France, in 1940.

On this day in 1940, four teenagers followed their dog down a hole left in the ground after the fall of a large pine tree. After squeezing through the narrow opening and tumbling down a large pile of rocks, they made one of the most famous discoveries in archaeological history. Entering a large chamber, now called the Great Hall of the Bulls, the teenagers found prehistoric paintings, drawings and engravings of animal figures and symbols drawn with great detail on the walls of the cavern. They had stumbled upon the now-famous Cave of Lascaux, the most renowned of about 130 Paleolithic caves in the western edges of the Massif Central and the northern slopes of the Pyrenees Mountains. The paintings of the Lascaux cave, estimated to be 15,000 to 17,000 years old, are among the best examples of Paleolithic art in the world. The paintings depict real and mythological animals, including bulls, lions, rhinoceroses and bears. Only one depiction of a human, a painting of a bird-headed man, can be found among the over 600 drawings and paintings and nearly 1,500 engravings in the main cavern. Archaeologists believe that the Lascaux cave was used over many years for hunting and religious rites. Archaeologically, the paintings hold great significance for the variety of animals depicted, the techniques used to draw them and their excellent state of preservation. After being open to the public for 15 years, the Cave of Lascaux was closed in 1963 to prevent further damage to the paintings—the presence of thousands of visitors had upset the cave's ecosystem and caused the growth of destructive mold.

EDSITEment
In Cave Art: Discovering Prehistoric Humans Through Pictures (K–2), students travel to the past to explore how people in earlier times used art as a way to record stories and communicate ideas. By studying paintings from the Cave of Lascaux and other caves in France, students discover that pictures are a way of communicating beliefs and ideas.

In another lesson directly tied to Lascaux, La Vie en Cave! (3–5), students explore cave paintings of France and create their own cave-wall art for the classroom. This lesson also focuses student attention on French as they learn French words related to cave exploration.

Science NetLinks
In the Science Update Stone Age Tunes (6–12), student attention is focused on the notion that Neanderthals may have enjoyed making and listening to music. Students learn of the discovery of a bone flute at a Neanderthal archaeological site, which has caused scientists to rethink many of their beliefs about this species. They then listen to the sounds made by a modern recreation of this instrument.