Topic – Ancient France: Ancient Cave Paintings

Ancient Cave Paintings

In 1940 in France, four boys found a cave in the woods. When they went inside to explore, they made an amazing discovery. On the walls, there were beautiful paintings of animals! The boys brought their teacher to the cave. When the teacher saw the paintings, he knew they were very, very old. Today, people believe the paintings are over 15 000 years old.

Ancient cave paintings

What Do the Paintings Show?

The paintings show many different animals, such as horses, bulls, and deer. Some of the paintings are very large. One painting of a bull is over 5 m long! There are over 900 animal paintings inside the cave.

How Were the Paintings Made?

The artists made their own paints from materials in nature. Some paints were made from different colours of dirt. Other paints were made from rocks that were crushed into a powder.

Sometimes the artists put paint into their mouth and blew it onto the cave wall. Sometimes they blew the paint through a tube, such as a hollow bone. In a few places, the artists used rocks to scratch lines into the cave wall.

Keeping the Paintings Safe

Today, only a few scientists are allowed to enter the cave. This helps to keep the paintings safe. Other people might touch the paintings and some of the paint might come off.

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