Time period is the upper paleolithic, about 12,000 BP, not too long after the cave paintings were created. The current names of the caves is not mentioned directly in the book, but can be discovered through the descriptions and the excellent numbered maps inside the book covers.
Note: Photos from the caves are from website sources other than the book.
The visit to all of the Sacred Caves was a training tour for Ayla toward becoming a high tribe official. Guiding the tour was the current head official of Ayla's tribe and over associated tribes. Ayla's two horses and colt and pet wolf were part of the tour group. The horses provided transportation for them and supplies.
Caves of the Sacred Sites. These caves with paintings were considered to be sacred by the ancient people living there
1. Comarque*
2. Gabillou
3. Rouffignac
4. La Foret
5. Castelmerle
6. Combarelles
7. Gorge d'Enfer
8. Laugerie Haute
9. Cap Blanc
10. Lascaux*
11. Cougnac
12. Pech Merle
13. Chauvet
14. Font-de-Gaume
* Note: There did not appear to be any mention of the Comarque and Lascaux caves in the book
1. Gabillou cave is first one visited during a summer meeting of several Zelandonii tribes. It is a very small cave with a few animal engravings, discovered in 1941.
2. Rouffignac cave was their second visit in the book. Often called the mammoth cave with images of 100 mammoth. Images are engravings and some with black outlines. Images dated at 13,000 BP. More than 8 kilometers of passageways. Currently there is an electric train for the first 2 km.
One of the mammoth images and other animals in the Rouffignac cave.
3. La Foret cave (The Forest) was their 3rd visit. The Forest cave is small with 9 animal images carved in clay or incised in stone. Included are reindeer, horses, a lion and a mountain goat
4. Castelmerle, a complex of 9 different sacred caves, was their fourth visit. Mammoth painting photo and one of the complex of 9 sacred caves at Castelmerle:
Castelmerle was a complex of 9 different shelter caves under limestone rocks (abris), which were inhabited, 14.000 years ago. In a small valley beind Sergeac, along the river Vezere. Many bright animal paintings, mammoths, etc.
5. Les Combarelles (Women's cave) was their 5th visit in the same year. Images dated at 11, 380 to 13,680 BP; engravings of horses, bison, and parts of human figures. There are 600 images. Photos below of location and cave entrance:
5. Les Combarelles (Women's cave) was their 5th visit in the same year. Images dated at 11, 380 to 13,680 BP; engravings of horses, bison, and parts of human figures. There are 600 images. Photos below of location and cave entrance:
6. Gorge d'Enfer cave. Photo of fish image in that cave:
Cave entrance and drawing of a fish drying rack.
8. Cap Blanc. White Hollow or White Headland.
Mentioned in the book but no details or images available.
Part II in the book. Time is one year later.
9. Cougnac cave. Dated with 2 phases: 25,000 BP and 14,000 BP.
Large red ibex painting.
One main room, most sacred area.
Passage in and small side room and an ancillary passage on right.
Vague human figures, deer with dots in between them.
Magnificent 2 megaceroses painte in black outline.
A mamoth inside body of one of the megacerose (only line of back and head.)
Two other animals in black outline:
- a mountain goat
- an ibex or a chamois
More animals: mountain goat, deer, horses
A wounded man: lower body and legs.
A pair of goats and dots - more goats - 4 mammoths in red.
Another human like figure.
10. Pech Merle: 25,000 BP
Discovered in 1922, open to public since 1926.
Painting of horses:
Two tunnels after entering.
A horse, red dots.
Lion with a fantastic tail.
Megacerose, a giant deer.
Lots of red dots: pathway to the next world, or to show way back
Negative hand prints on walls.
Huge stalagmite pillars.
A big panel:
- many animals in black and superimposed.
- mammoths
- horses, bison, aurochs
On a cornice: bison and mammoths
Another large remarkable panel:
- 2 black horses, back to back. See photo above.
- large black dots inside each horse.
- horse head on a rock contour
Injured human figure as in Cougnac cave.
Very long cave, over 2 km long, 7 large halls.
Meaning of Pech Merle:
Pech = french writing of the occitan word: pueg = hill
Merle = could be ancient Gaelic word: = hill or high area.
11. Chauvet cave. "Most ancient sacred place" per the book.
Earliest known cave paintings, discovered in 1994.
On Ardeche river, paintings dated 30,000 to 32,000 BP.
Ceiling hung with stange and magnificent stalacites resembling long white hair.
Lion head in black, only black one in the cave.
Many red dots.
Three horse heads, two in yellow.
Large front of a deer.
Bear head in red, then a 2nd one, then a 3rd one.
Two ibex, partly in red.
Two mamoths, used relief of rock wall.
A bear with two lion heads on it.
Red spotted leopard.
A hyena.
Cave bear facing left.
Frieze of 5 rhinoceroses.
More mammoths, a rhinoceros.
Sketch of a black rhino.
An owl with head turned back.
About 50 animals in one room.
Many white engravings (marks exposing white surface underneath).
Two black mammoths facing each other.
Musk-ox with down turned horns.
A cave bear skull on top of a rock.
Horse panel on the wall: 4 heads on top of each other
(See photos above).
Rhinos fighting.
A bison with may legs.
Male and female lions, female sitting down.
Panel of male reindeer.
Four rhinos, partly painted and parly engraved.
Three black rhinos, one complete with black band around middle
Three lions, a bear, head of a bison, and a vulva.
Three lions side by side, facing right.
Lions and bison = lions hunting bison.
Bison heads on one wall, body in profile on perpendicular wall.
12. Font de Gaume cave. Discovered in 1901, 17,000 BP paintings.
Aurochs stampeding.
Horses racing.
Bison and deer running.
Ibex.
Two bison bulls running past each other.
Great auroch bulls.
Huge cow flying in air appearance.
Cow giving birth.
Many horses in color: browns, reds, blacks.
That ends the summary of 12 of the ancient 14 sacred painted caves in the Dordogne region of France. Wonderful detailed descriptions in The Land of Painted Caves book published in 2011.
Read from top of page 28 in 'Land of Painted Caves' for a description of the carved horse head found in Comarque Cave. After viewing a picture on line, I can see why Jean Auel's 'Ayla' was so impressed.
ReplyDeleteLascaux Cave is only mentioned briefly in passing in 'Painted Caves', but is written about more extensively in 'Shelters of Stone'. It is however described as a newly found, and untouched cave with pristine calcite walls. Jean Auel's decription of White Hollow (the name she gave for Lascaux in 'Painted Caves), was exactly what you see in pictures and tours of Lascaux before it became a canvas for the artists of the time.
ReplyDeleteThe time of Auel's books is NOT 12,000 BCE, but more like 25,000 BCE; it is described as taking place during the "interstadial" (interstitial?) warming period just before the last glacial maximum; 12,000 BCE is the END of the last glacial maximum. In the books there are several mentions that the world-spanning icecap glacier is growing.
ReplyDelete