11 102 A Deep in the mountain's heart at Le Tuc d'Audoubert, difficult of access, lies a cave containing magnificent clay models of bisons. In a small adjoining chamber are the heelprints of Palaeolithic children. What took place in this secret and isolated place? Many archaeologists believe initiation ceremonies may have been performed here.
# Le Tuc d'Audoubert, Bison
4 101 x A series of interlinked caves with many painted panels. An enigmatic figure seems to show a bird-headed individual pierced by darts. Drips running down from some of the paintings show that the paint was wet when applied; dry paint was also used by Palaeolithic artists.
# Pech Merle, bird headed figure
12 102 B Limestone blocks within La Madeleine cave show mainly reindeer, the favourite prey of the local hunters. Pieces of portable art, however, like this charming sculpture of a bison licking itself, mainly show horses and bison, the most common subjects of paintings on cave walls.
# La Madeleine, Bison licking itself from La Madeleine
13 102 D An antler carving of three horses' heads, one shown with its skin removed. It may have been part of a spear thrower. Horses were about the most commonly shown creature in Ice Age art; they may have had some sacred significance.
# Le Mas d'Azil, Images
14 101 x A series of some 1500 engraved limestone blocks discovered at La Marche include a large number of portraits of people, their outlines scored over repeatedly. Some are heads, others full length figures. In some instances there appear to be a male and female drawn together: these have been interpreted as 'marriage certificates', whatever that might mean.
# La Marche, Dancer stone
6 101 x Deep inside Pyrenees on the river Volp lies the cavern of Les Trois Frères. Among myriad depictions of various animals, including owls, is one that seems to show a man dressed as a beast, in skin and antler head-dress. Perhaps this is the image of a shaman (primitive priest), or maybe of some nature deity.
# Trois FrËres, Images
15 102 G A number of fine figurines including pendants have been found in this cave. Horses are the main subject: stone carvings of horses were found together with horse skulls in what has been interpreted as a sanctuary.
# Duruthy, Images
5 101 x One of the richest painted cave systems, Niaux is best known for the famous Salon Noir where huge outline figures of bison and ibex cover the walls of a large circular chamber. Some have arrows or darts painted on them, but do not seem wounded.
# Niaux, Hadingham
8 102 I The faded paintings of bison, reindeer, rhino and mammoth discovered on the walls deep in the Font de Gaume cave in 1901 helped convince many previously sceptical scholars of the genuine Palaeolithic date of cave art.
# Font de Gaume, rhino, mammoth
9 101 x It is often difficult to date cave art, but at Tito Bustillo the artists had lived just below the great painted panel of horses and red deer and painting pigments have been found amongst their domestic debris. Some of the pigments were still in the barnacle shells in which they had been mixed.
# Tito Bustillo
10 101 x The walls of painted caves were rarely smooth. Stalactites were often present and the surfaces undulated. The Palaeolithic artists took these features in their stride. At Cougnac some of the stalagmites were snapped off to give a better view of the art. Others were incorporated into the painted designs to enhance their effectiveness.
