Niaux cave
| Niaux cave
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 Black Salon, Wisent No. 68 (replica) |
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| Location: | Niaux near Tarascon-sur-Ariège , France | |
| Height : | 668 m | |
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Geographic location: |
42 ° 49 '15 " N , 1 ° 35' 37" E | |
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| Geology: | limestone | |
| Lighting: | no | |
| Overall length: | > 2000 m | |
| Website: | Grotto de Niaux | |
The cave of Niaux ( French: Grotte de Niaux ) is located in the Ariège Pyrenees region in the municipality of Niaux . It is a ramified cave system that was washed into the limestone by an underground watercourse . There are numerous cave drawings in this system , including a. with representations of bison , horses , ibex , a deer and groups of dots and lines that could not be interpreted so far. The cave is part of the Franco-Cantabrian cave art . There are no finds to suggest that it was ever inhabited.
The cave is located in the valley of Vicdessos, the "active" part of the artistic creation is given as around 13,500 (the oldest work) to 12,500 years (the most recent work). The time of the painting thus falls into the Magdalenian period , a phase of the younger Paleolithic. Niaux is one of the younger picture caves. Particularly noteworthy are the drawings (originally polychrome, now slightly faded) in the main hall, the so-called Salon Noir , approx. 775 m from the cave entrance.
Already at the beginning of the 17th century the cave - recognizable by numerous historical graffiti - was discovered and popular with tourists. The age of the drawings was not recognized. In 1906 the Salon Noir was measured and researched by Captain Molar and his sons . Molar was probably the first to understand the meaning of the drawings - this aroused the interest of the specialists. Abbé Henri Breuil and Émile Cartailhac systematically examined the Salon Noir in 1907. In 1925 J. Mandeman discovered what he called the "Cartailhac Gallery".
Not far from the Niaux grotto, on the opposite side of the valley, is the La Vache grotto , which researchers believe was at least temporarily the residence of the people who left the rock carvings in the Niaux cave.
Notes for visitors
The Niaux picture cave is the only one of the better-known picture caves in southern France and Spain to be open to the public (for groups of up to 20 people). In order to protect the cave climate, the total number of visitors per day is limited. The cave is not lit and only minimally developed. Electric miner's lamps are issued to visitors. The guided group must not be left. Hiking equipment is required. The temperature is around 12 ° C, even in summer. Advance booking by telephone is strongly recommended, especially during the holiday season. In front of today's cave entrance is a modern tourist information center with the most necessary facilities.
address
- Grotte de Niaux - SESTA, Parc de l'Art Préhistorique, Route de Banat, 09400 Niaux
See also
literature
- Jean Clottes: Niaux . Jan Thorbecke Verlag, Stuttgart 1997. ISBN 379959003X
- Toni Hildebrandt: image, gesture and hand. Leroi-Gourhan's paleontological image theory , IMAGE 14 (September 2011). "Image, gesture and hand. Leroi-Gourhan's paleontological image theory
