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Experts rave over cave art find
06/07/2001 11:48 - (SA)
Crispian Balmer
Paris - Stunning prehistoric engravings
uncovered in a cave in western France could be just a foretaste
of the treasures held in the dank interior, but the public will
probably never get a glimpse, an archaeologist said on
Thursday.
Art experts have hailed the find at Cussac in the Dordogne
valley as a major discovery, with the grotto chamber covered in
spectacular drawings of wild animals, hybrid beasts, birds and
women and erotic imagery.
"This site is of world importance," said Dany Barraud, the
Culture Ministry's head of archaeology in the Dordogne region.
Initial estimates have suggested the vivid engravings are
between 22 000 and 28 000 years old - much earlier than famous
wall paintings in the nearby Lascaux cave complex that are
reputed to be more than 16 000 years old.
"We are talking about monumental engravings. We have found
more than 100 engravings so far, but we think that there are
many more. The trouble is that it is an extremely fragile site
which is hindering our work," Barraud told Reuters.
The cave floor consists of unstable clay, while the
limestone walls are flaky and susceptible to temperature
changes, preventing large groups from visiting the chamber.
In addition, there is a high level of carbon gas in the
underground passages, which means that archaeologists can only
spend a maximum of three hours on site before having to return
to the surface for fresh air.
Replica planned for tourist
"It will not be opened to the public, but the local
authorities are considering creating a replica of the site in a
nearby cave for tourists," said Barraud.
The Cussac cave was uncovered by speleologist Marc Delluc
last September, but the importance of the finding was only made
public this week.
The engravings are dotted along a chamber 900 metres
(yards) long, some 15 metres wide and more than 10 metres high.
Among the artwork is a picture of a bison some four metres
long - one of the biggest single prehistoric engravings ever
found - and one scene featuring up to 40 figures.
Among the line carvings are animals with deformed heads, a
bison with a horse's head, silhouettes of women and half a dozen
representations of female erotica.
"There is undoubtedly a very special atmosphere at
Cussac... There is an originality here," said Jean Clottes, an
adviser on Prehistoric Rock Art at the Culture Ministry.
Archaeologists have also found human remains in the cave,
although they are not yet sure if the relatively well-preserved
skeletons date from a later age than the artwork.
The Cussac discovery is the second major prehistoric art
site found in France in less than a decade.
In 1994, potholers stumbled across a complex of galleries
full of paintings in the Ardeche gorge. Experts believe the
animal pictures there are some 32 000 years old and, as with
Cussac, the public has been barred access to safeguard the
site.
- Reuters
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