Drawings of the Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc grotto are a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The French cave, which houses the earliest and best-preserved cave paintings in the world, was included in UNESCO’s cherished World Heritage List. And this is natural - archaeologists around the world were amazed at the skill of ancient artists, who more than 30,000 years ago depicted mammoths, bears and bison on the walls of caves.

Photo: DRAC Rhone-Alpes, Ministere de la Culture

The walls of the world-famous grotto Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc (Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc) show us a real miracle of primitive art. The powerful, breathtaking figurative drawings of mammoths, bears, snow leopards, rhinos, bison and bison carved on the walls more than 30,000 years ago, were preserved in perfect condition only because the space of the cave was cut off from the outside world by rock fragments, completely overwhelmed the entrance.

Photo: DRAC Rhone-Alpes, Ministere de la Culture

Experts fixed on the walls of the cave, accidentally discovered by the researcher Jean-Marie Chauvet in 1994, more than 1000 drawings that have “exceptional aesthetic qualities and show us a number of artistic techniques of ancient people: the skillful use of color, a combination of colors and engraving, anatomical accuracy, three-dimensionality and movement ”, As the representatives of UNESCO said in their official statement.

Photo: DRAC Rhone-Alpes, Ministere de la Culture

“This is the largest art cave in the world today,” said Jean Clottes, the first archaeologist to visit the grotto.

However, the treasures of the grotto, accessible to scientists, will never be open to the public. This is associated with a high risk of destruction of priceless cave paintings by bacteria carried by people. The fact of such influence was established by the French through bitter experience - in the famous prehistoric caves of Lascaux, which were urgently closed to the public. But you don’t need to be upset, an exact copy of the Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc grotto is already under construction and will be opened in April 2015.

In total, 39 UNESCO World Heritage Sites are located in France, including the fortified island of Mont Saint Michel, its bay, the palaces of Versailles (Versailles Palace), Paris and the banks of the Seine.

Anna Sidorova © Gallerix.ru