Thursday, June 16, 2016

Lascaux Virtual Field Trip


                                                        
                                                                      The entrance to Lascaux caves, 1940.

Lascaux
The discovery of the monumental Lascaux cave in 1940 brought with it a new era in our knowledge of both prehistoric art and human origins. Today, the cave continues to feed our collective imagination and to profoundly move new generations of visitors from around the world.

To celebrate this prehistoric wonder, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication's is pleased to present its latest multimedia publication – an update of the original Lascaux website, which was first put on line in 1998. The new site has been entirely reworked in both form and content, reflecting the latest advances in archaeological research.

Visitors to the site are presented with a three-dimensional digital version of the cave, which allows them to go from room to room, completely immersed in the site. As they travel from the Great Hall of the Bulls all the way to the Shaft of the Dead Man, they can stop at each of the many images, read descriptions, play video sequences and examine overlay lines that helpfully reveal some of the more difficult to identify figures. A zoom feature enables visitors to get as close as possible to the walls that these talented artists decorated. 

Chamber of the Felines 
Chamber of the Felines


The cave also features hundreds of "signs", quadrilateral shapes and dots and other patterns which we'll surely never decipher. They suggest the first inklings of a realization of mathematics.

Geometric rock incisions from the Paleolithic and Mesolithic period.



 Location: Dordoigne, Montignac, France. Grid Reference: N 45° 3' 27",  E 1° 10' 12".

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