Monday, February 13, 2012

Cave Paintings | 35,000 Years Ago!

HISTORY PODCAST #1

What are cave paintings?
Beautiful, detailed and colorful representations found on the inside of cave walls and ceilings

Name several common themes found in cave paintings?
Large animals such as bison, horses, deer, tracings of human hands, and abstract patterns

How were these paintings created (tools, pigments)?
The paints were made from mixing water, plant juice, animal blood, soil, charcoal, and hematite (a form of iron oxide); brushed were made by putting together sticks, small stones, leaves, and animal hair

What is the most famous cave painting site? When was it discovered and by whom?
Post an example of cave painting(s) from this cave.

Lascaux, France in 1940 by four teenage boys


Why did this cave have to be closed? What was done to satisfy public curiosity?
1963, the paintings were being damaged by the carbon dioxide emitted by the visitors; to satisfy public interest, the French government created Lascaux II, a man-made replica next to the original

Post an example of cave painting(s) from Altamira cave.

In Altamira cave, why do most of the paintings have a red hue?
The red clay in the soil, probably used in the paintings

Who discovered this site? How old are the paintings confirmed to be?
Discovered by Marceline Sanz De Sautuola and his daughter, Maria; confirmed to be nearly 19,000 years old

What is the oldest known cave painting site? When was it discovered and by whom?
Post an example of cave painting(s) from this cave.
Chauvet-Point Arc, discovered in 1994 by three speleogists Eliette Brunell Deschamps, Christian Hillaire, and Jean-Marie Chauvet


What was different about the painting techniques at this site?
Walls were scraped clear of debris, and a 3D effect was created by etching around the edges

What is "speleology"?
The study of cave paintings and the mechanics of them (how they were made, utensils, etc.)

What three reasons do archeologists and historians believe prehistoric man created cave paintings?
1. To tell a story or recount an event that already happened,
2. As an instructional visual aid to help teach about hunting techniques, or
3. Created for magical or religious reasons that if an image of a desired event were painted it might come true

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