Cave art : a guide to the decorated Ice Age caves of Europe

The decorated Ice Age caves are some of mankind’s greatest artistic achievements, and there is no substitute for seeing the caves themselves. There you can see the art – paintings, engravings, bas-reliefs, or drawings – in its original, natural setting, and stand where the artists did 30,000–10,000 years ago. For speleologists and holidaymakers alike – indeed anyone who wants to add a visit to a cave to their itinerary – here is an essential handbook. The first guide to all the decorated Ice Age caves in Europe that are open to the public, Cave Art covers more than 50 caves in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy, as well as relevant museums and centres. The guide has been fully revised and updated for this new, third edition. Cover 1 Inside cover 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents Page 8 Introduction 12 Cave Art 16 Periods 31 Symbols used in this guide 31 Map 1 32 Map 2 33 The Sites 34 UNITED KINGDOM 36 CHURCH HOLE AND ROBIN HOOD’S CAVE 37 FRANCE 40 LA GRANDE GROTTE D’ARCY-SUR-CURE 41 LA GROTTE MARGOT / MAYENNE-SCIENCES 43 LA CHAIRE à CALVIN 45 ANGLES-SUR-L’ANGLIN (LE ROC-AUX-SORCIERS) 47 LE PLACARD 50 LE ROC DE SERS (FACSIMILE) 53 FONT DE GAUME 55 LES COMBARELLES 58 CAP BLANC 60 ABRI PATAUD and CAVE PATAUD (ABRI MOVIUS) 62 ROUFFIGNAC 65 BERNIFAL 68 ABRI DU POISSON (AND LAUGERIE HAUTE) 70 SAINT-CIRQ 72 BARA-BAHAU 75 VILLARS 77 ABRI REVERDIT (CASTEL-MERLE) 79 LASCAUX II 81 LASCAUX IV (Centre International de l’Art Pariétal) 84 MUSÉE NATIONAL DE PRÉHISTOIRE (LES EYZIES) 87 COUGNAC 89 GROTTE DES MERVEILLES 92 PECH-MERLE 93 PAIR-NON-PAIR 97 MUSÉE D’AQUITAINE 99 ISTURITZ AND OXOCELHAYA 100 GARGAS 103 BÉDEILHAC 109 NIAUX 111 PARC DE LA PRÉHISTOIRE (PREHISTORIC PARK) 114 CHAUVET 2 116 COSQUER MÉDITERRANÉE 119 MUSÉE D’ARCHÉOLOGIE NATIONALE 121 SPAIN 122 EKAINBERRI 123 SANTIMAMIÑE 126 COVALANAS 128 ALTAMIRA II 131 CHUFÍN 138 EL CASTILLO 140 LAS MONEDAS 144 HORNOS DE LA PEÑA 147 EL PENDO 149 SALITRE II (SOPEÑA) 151 EL PINDAL 152 EL BUXU 154 TITO BUSTILLO 156 LA LOJA 159 LA PEÑA DE CANDAMO 161 (AND INTERPRETATION CENTRE) 161 PARQUE DE LA PREHISTORIA DE TEVERGA 164 LOS CASARES 167 LA PILETA 169 ARDALES (CUEVA DE DOÑA TRINIDAD) 171 SIEGA VERDE 173 DOMINGO GARCÍA (CERRO DE SAN ISIDRO) 175 MUSEO ARQUEOLÓGICO NACIONAL 177 PORTUGAL 178 ESCOURAL (AND INTERPRETATION CENTRE) 179 CÔA VALLEY 181 ITALY 185 LEVANZO (GROTTA DEL GENOVESE) 186 GROTTA DEI PUNTALI -- CARINI (PA) 188 GROTTA DEL CAVIGLIONE E BALZI ROSSI 190 RIPARO DI ROMITO 192 Acknowledgements 195 Captions and Credits 196 The Isturitz panel in its context. 11 Hand stencils in Cosquer Méditerranée. 15 Sculpted ibex on a block from Roc de Sers, in the Musée d’Archéologie Nationale. 18 The leaping horse from Font de Gaume. 19 Engraved horse and ibex at Penascosa, Côa Valley. 1 Bison on the ceiling of the Altamira facsimile. 1 Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigación de Altamira, Ministerio de Cultura de España. 1 Aurochs cow and horse in the Axial Gallery of Lascaux. 1 Bison engraving in Church Hole. 38 ‘Ibis’ in engraving and bas-relief on the ceiling of Church Hole. 39 Mammoth in the Grande Grotte d’Arcy. 42 Opposite: The ‘blue rhinoceros’ in the Grotte Margot (tracing after Dufayet). 43 The frieze at La Chaire à Calvin. 46 Cast of ibex figures in the sculpted frieze of the Roc-aux-Sorciers. 48 Tracing of some of the engravings at Le Placard (after Feruglio). 51 Replicas of the blocks comprising the frieze at Le Roc de Sers. 54 Deer and bison figures in Font de Gaume. 56 The two reindeer in Font de Gaume. 57 The feline engraving of Les Combarelles. 59 Head of the central horse at Cap Blanc. 61 The sculpted ibex on the ceiling of the Cave Pataud. 63 Mammoth and ibex on the Rouffignac ceiling. 66 Bison eye/horn, mammoth and human face drawn on hanging rock in Bernifal. 69 The bas-relief fish on the ceiling of the Abri du Poisson. 71 St Cirq ‘sorcerer’. 73 The bear engraving of Bara-Bahau. 76 The ‘blue horse’ of Villars. 78 Sculpted bison in the Abri Reverdit. 80 Photomontages of the ‘unicorn’ and the ibex/aurochs panel s in Lascaux II. 82 The entrance of Lascaux IV. 85 Falling horse (left) and bull (right), Lascaux IV. 86 Aurochs figures on a block from Le Fourneau du Diable, in the Musée National de Préhistoire. 88 Central ibex in the Cougnac panel, framed by red-coated stalagmites. 90 Deer and horse from the Grotte des Merveilles. 92 Grotte des Merveilles (reproduced by permission). 92 Hand stencil and dots in Pech-Merle. 94 Spotted horses in Pech-Merle. 95 Black frieze in Pech-Merle. 96 The ‘Agnus Dei’ panel of Pair-non-Pair. 98 The decorated panel of Isturitz. 101 The Isturitz panel in its context. 102 Hand in niche in Gargas. 104 Panel of hands in Gargas. 105 Some of the hand stencils of Gargas. 108 The clay bas-relief of a bison and vulva in Bédeilhac’s Galerie des Modelages. 110 Horses and stag in Niaux’s Salon Noir. 112 The main building in the Parc de la Préhistoire. 115 The entrance of Chauvet 2. 117 Bison in Cosquer Méditerranée. 119 The auk figures in Cosquer Méditerranée. 120 The main panel in the cave of Ekain. 124 The bears in Ekain. 125 The central panel in the cave of Santimamiñe. 127 Group of female deer in Covalanas. 129 Bison group on the ceiling in the Altamira facsimile. 132 Detail of an engraved and painted bison head, Altamira. 133 Bison on the Altamira ceiling. 134 Decorated bosses in the Altamira ceiling. 135 Photomontage of the whole Altamira ceiling. 1 Rows of red dots in Chufín. 139 Vertical bison, semi-natural and semi-drawn, on stalagmite in El Castillo. 141 Discs in El Castillo. 142 Hand stencils in El Castillo. 143 Vertical horse and reindeer figures, Las Monedas . 145 Tracing of a horse and other figures in Hornos de la Peña. 148 The main decorated panel of El Pendo. 150 Tracing of a hind in Salitre. 151 The large red hind in El Pindal. 153 Engraved horse in El Buxu. 155 Detail of the main panel in Tito Bustillo. 157 Part of the main panel in Tito Bustillo. 158 Photo of the engraved panel in La Loja. 160 Consejería de Cultura del Principado de Asturias. (Tracing After Breuil). 160 Horse and other motifs painted high up in Candamo’s Camarin. 162 Facsimile of the main panel in Covaciella Cave, in the Galeria of Teverga Park. 165 The entrance building in the Park of Teverga. 166 Tracing of the ‘diving’ panel in Los Casares. 168 Horse and fingermarks in La Pileta’s Sanctuary. 170 Detail of an engraved hind in Ardales. 172 Hand stencil in Ardales. 172 Pecked horse at Siega Verde. 174 Head of the large pecked horse of Domingo García. 176 Tracing of an engraved shoulder-blade from El Castillo in the Museo Arqueológico Nacional . 177 Tracing of the engraved horse heads of Escoural. 180 The overlapping horse-heads of Ribeira de Piscos, Côa Valley. 182 An engraved panel at Penascosa, Côa Valley. 183 Tracing of an engraved deer in Levanzo. 187 The engraved horses of Puntali, photograph and sketch. 189 Photo and tracing of the engraved horse in the Grotta del Caviglione. 191 The two engraved aurochs of Romito. 193 Index 200 Inside back cover 1 Back cover 205 Cave Art,Ice Age,Prehistory,Rock Art,Decorated Caves,Lascaux,Chauvet,Creswell Crags,Altamira