Font-de-Gaume | |
 Cliff at Font-de-Gaume | |
  Font-de-Gaume cave Location in France Show map of Aquitaine Font-de-Gaume cave Font-de-Gaume cave (France) Show map of France | |
| Location | nearLes Eyzies, |
|---|---|
| Region | Dordogne,France |
| Coordinates | 44°56′13″N1°1′36″E / 44.93694°N 1.02667°E /44.93694; 1.02667 |
| History | |
| Cultures | Magdalenian |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1901, |
| Archaeologists | Denis Peyrony |
 Interactive map of Font-de-Gaume | |
| Official name | Font de Gaume |
| Part of | Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley |
| Criteria | Cultural: (i), (iii) |
| Reference | 85-003 |
| Inscription | 1979 (3rdSession) |
| Area | 5.216 ha (561,400 sq ft) |
Font-de-Gaume is a cave nearLes Eyzies in theDordognedepartment of south-westFrance. The cave contains prehistoric polychromecave paintings and engravings dating to theMagdalenian period. Discovered in 1901, more than 200 images have been identified in Font-de-Gaume. Along with other nearby prehistoric archeological sites, Font-de-Gaume was inscribed on theUNESCOWorld Heritage List in 1979 as thePrehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley.[1]
The paintings were discovered by Denis Peyrony, a local schoolmaster, on 12 September 1901. The cave had been known to the general public before this, but the significance of the paintings had not been recognised.[2] Four days earlier Peyrony had visited the cave atLes Combarelles, a short distance away, with the archaeologistHenri Breuil, where he saw its prehistoric engravings. The paintings in the cave at Font-de-Gaume were the first to be discovered in thePérigordprovince.[3]
Prehistoric people living in theDordogne Valley first settled in the mouth of Font-de-Gaume around 25,000 BC. The cave mouth was inhabited at least sporadically for the next several thousand years. However, after the original prehistoric inhabitants left, the cave was forgotten until the nineteenth century when local people again began to visit the cave. The paintings date from around 17,000 BC, during theMagdalenian period. Many of the cave's paintings have been discovered in recent decades. The cave's most famous painting, a frieze of five bison, was discovered accidentally in 1966 while scientists were cleaning the cave.
As of 2007, Font-de-Gaume was the only site in France with polychrome cave paintings that is still open to the public.[4]
To date, 230 figures have been recorded in the cave, and it is thought that more are still to be revealed.[3] Font-de-Gaume holds over 200 polychrome paintings. These engravings are considered the best examples of polychrome painting other thanLascaux, which is now closed to the public. The rock art in Font-de-Gaume includes depictions of more than 80 bison, approximately 40 horses, and more than 20 mammoths.
In August 1919, the poetT. S. Eliot visited Périgueux. As part of his walking tour, he explored the then already famous Font-de-Gaume cave.[5]
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