Page 384 - Lonely Planet France’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

PREHISTORY 101

If you’re visiting the cave paintings around the Vézère, it helps to know a little about
the artists who created them. Most of the paintings date from the end of the last ice
age, between 20,000 BC and 10,000 BC, and were painted by Cro-Magnon people –
descendants of the first Homo erectus settlers who arrived from North Africa
between 700,000 BC and 100,000 BC.
Cro-Magnon people lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, using the mouths of caves
as temporary hunting shelters (not the deep interiors, where you often find the art)
while they followed their prey, including mammoths, woolly rhinoceros, reindeer and
aurochs, an ancestor of the modern cow.
Generally, they painted geometric forms, the occasional stylised human form,
and the animals they hunted using mineral paints derived from magnesium and
charcoal (black), ochre (red/yellow) and iron (red). Although no one is certain what
the purpose of the paintings was, it’s assumed they held some kind of magical,
religious or shamanic significance.
Painting seems to have ceased around 10,000 BC, about the same time that
humans settled down to a more fixed lifestyle of farming and agriculture.

warm, as it’s chilly below European bison. Sadly, Aug, 9.30am-6pm Apr-Jun, Sep
ground. though, you’ll have to put & Oct, 10am-12.30pm & 2-5pm
up with fibreglass models Nov-Mar, closed Jan) is home
The Drive » From the Grotte of extinct species such as
de Rouffignac, retrace your route to France’s most famous –
to the D32, and follow signs to woolly mammoths. and finest – prehistoric
Montignac, making turns onto The Drive » Turn back paintings.
the D6 and D45. Northeast of onto the D706 and head The 600-strong
ATLANTIC COAST 35 CAVE ART OF THE VézèRE VALLEY
Thonac, turn left onto the D706 towards Montignac, about menagerie is vividly
and look out for the sign to Le 7km northeast, where there depicted in shades of red,
Thot shortly afterwards. are dining and accomodation black, yellow and brown,
options (see p383). Once you ranging from reindeer,
reach town, cross the bridge and
TRIP HIGHLIGHT follow av du 4 Septembre, then aurochs, mammoths and
6 Le Thot look out for brown signs to the horses to a huge 5.5m-
long bull, the largest cave
It’s well worth visiting Grotte de Lascaux, perched on a drawing ever found.
Le Thot (%05 53 50 70 44; hilltop 1km south of town. The original cave has
www.semitour.com; Thonac; been closed to the public
adult/child €9/5.90, joint ticket TRIP HIGHLIGHT since 1963, but a pains-
with Lascaux II €14.50/9.80; 7 Grotte de Lascaux takingly precise replica
h10am-7pm Jul & Aug, to 6pm Sometimes known as the has been created nearby.
Apr-Jun, Sep & Oct, shorter There are several guided
hours rest of year), where Sistine Chapel of cave art, tours every hour, includ-
you can see some of the the Grotte de Lascaux ing some in English.
real-life beasts depicted (%05 53 51 95 03; www.semi From April to September,
by prehistoric artists – tour.com; Montignac; adult/ tickets are sold only at
including reindeer, child €9.90/6.40, combined the ticket office next to
stags, horses, ibex and ticket with Le Thot €13.50/9.40; Montignac’s tourist office.
hguided tours 9am-7pm Jul &

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