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Culture Section
Part One: Archaeologist Report
Location: Lascaux Caves, France
Created c.28,000 BCE
See accompanying photographs
Artifacts/ Location of Artifacts:
o Many images of deer, bison, horses, cows, bear, etc., some images up
to eight feet in length (see photos)
o Images located far away from cave entrance – no natural light found
in these areas of cave
o Images painted in especially bumpy parts of cave walls/ ceilings
o Man-made holes in the walls underneath especially high paintings
o Remains of food (enough for one small meal)
o Hollow bones with colorful stains and smears on edges
o Remains of different colored rocks and minerals
o Eggs shells
o Small bones with tufts of animal hair tied to ends
o Stone “bowls” with remains of animal fat or charcoal inside (edges of
stone blackened and sooty)
o Clumps of moss covered with dried colorful material
o Hollow reeds
o Colorful outlines of human hands on some cave wall surfaces
Directions: Using the list of artifacts discovered at the site and the
inference skills of your team of archaeologists, please complete the report
below to the best of your ability. Use your close up artifact photos to help
your decision-making.
Lascaux Conclusions – Making the Masterpieces
1. What materials did the artists use to create the paintings? (Think
about ALL the material needed to make paintings.)
2. What is the significance of the man-made holes in the walls of the
cave? The sooty and blackened stone bowls?
3. “The artists did not normally live in the place where the paintings
were found.” Support/ explain this statement based on the evidence
and what we know about early human nomads.
4. Is it noteworthy that the paintings were created in certain bumpy
areas of the cave wall? Do you think the artists were purposeful in
choosing those spots to paint?
Part Two: Anthropologist Report
Directions: It is now time to switch your archaeologist hat to your
anthropologist hat to discover more truths about these images. This part is
more difficult because we can never truly know what was going through the
minds of the ancient artists or their audience. Anthropologists of the
twentieth century have developed some theories that we will review after
the Popham 6 anthropologists have had their turn! 
1. Please explain the selection of animals the artists painted. (Why did
the early Europeans choose to depict those animals?)
2. Is there anything about the life style of these early home sapiens
that could relate to the images painted in the caves?
3. Why do you think the artists/ group decided to create the paintings
so far back in the caves?
4. When do you think the other members of the clan or group might have
seen the paintings?
5. Look at the list of recent Weekly Words on the back board. Does
your team think any of these words could be connected to the
meanings of the cave paintings?
6. As a group, please describe your theory about the meanings of the
cave paintings. Use at least two complete sentences.
Established Cave Painting Theories
Here are two well-respected theories about the meaning of the cave
paintings at Lascaux. We will never know the truth – the real meaning could
be a combination of the theories or even something totally different we
haven’t thought of yet! However, these two theories are based on years of
careful research.
Theory
Explanation
Agree/ Disagree? Why?