How a dog called Robot helped reveal Lascaux’s prehistoric art gallery
When Marcel Ravidat went out hunting for a medieval tunnel he never expected to find a prehistoric art gallery
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It seems fitting that one of the greatest collections of prehistoric artwork featuring an array of animals should have been found partly thanks to a dog. The dog’s name was Robot and his owner was 18-year-old French school student Marcel Ravidat.
Ravidat was on a break from school and exploring the woods of Montignac in Dordogne, in the south of France, when he noticed Robot sniffing around a small hole created by a tree that had been uprooted.
Closer investigation revealed the hole led to a cavern filled with prehistoric paintings and carvings. The date was September 12, 1940 — 70 years ago tomorrow. It was a dark time in France and with the Nazis having captured Paris and occupying the north, Dordogne was flooded with refugees.
LOCAL LEGEND
Despite the war, Ravidat and his friends Jacques Marsal, Georges Agnel and Simon Coencas spent their leisure hours exploring the forest near their homes. The boys were especially intrigued by a local legend of a tunnel that supposedly ran under the Vezere River to the Chateau de Montignac.
When Robot found the hole, Ravidat thought he might have finally uncovered the old tunnel. He and his friends tossed in stones to gauge the depth of the hole and then plunged in to explore. They slid down a 15m shaft into a large chamber.
By the feeble light of the oil lamp they had brought with them, they could see images. Marsal would later say that they could see a “cavalcade of animals larger than life painted on the walls and ceiling of the cave — each animal seemed to be moving.”
The boys spent a small amount of time exploring but, running out of oil for their lamp, they decided to leave and come back the next day. Swearing each other to secrecy, they returned next day better equipped and explored further. Amazed by what they found, the boys could no longer keep their secret and discussed bringing others to the cave and charging them a few centimes per viewing of the paintings. It was not long before there were more takers than the boys could handle.
MAJOR FIND
They knew the art was old but were not certain how old. They sought the advice of a schoolteacher Leon Laval, whose specialty was history and who also happened to be a member of a local prehistoric society. At first Laval found their story difficult to believe, but eventually he was convinced to take a look.
Once he saw the images he knew this was a major find. He warned the boys to prevent anyone touching the paintings and to protect the cave from vandalism. Marsal took this advice very seriously and set up a tent outside to guard the entrance. He would be the cave’s unofficial protector and guide.
Word soon reached French archaeologist Henri Breuil, a specialist in cave art, who visited Lascaux and confirmed the images were indeed authentic stone age paintings and carvings. He was the first academic to properly study the cave.
PROTECTIVE STEPS
The cave was opened to the public in 1948, but the carbon dioxide and moisture from the breath of the crowds from the caves, along with the harsh artificial lighting, caused damage to
the artworks.
The cave was closed to the public in 1963 so the remaining art could be restored and preserved. Some of the boys who had earned a living as guides were forced to find work at a local mill, although Marsal remained as chief guide until his death in 1989.
A replica cave, known as Lascaux II, was opened in 1983 to allow tourists to have some experience of the original.
MAN AND BEASTS
The artwork of the Lascaux Caves dates to at least 17,000 years ago. The paintings in the cave are mostly of animals but there is one image of a human (depiction of humans was rare in paleolithic art). One of the images, that of a large black bull, is said to be the largest single image found in any prehistoric cave art. Some of the images are of creatures that have long since become extinct in Europe. The paintings show particular skill in representing depth, overlapping and even movement. The purpose of the paintings is unknown but one theory suggests that they represent a map of the night sky
Originally published as How a dog called Robot helped reveal Lascaux’s prehistoric art gallery
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