What was discovered in the Grotte Chauvet?

They explored almost the whole network, and on their way back, Éliette noticed a small, red, ochre mammoth on a rocky pendant in the beam of her headlamp: “They were here!” she cried out, and from then on, they carefully looked at all the walls, discovering hundreds of paintings and engravings.

Is there a replica of the Grotte Chauvet?

The replica of the Chauvet Cave was built there. Since the real cave is almost inaccessible, photographs were used extensively to reproduce it. After several digitization campaigns of the Chauvet Cave, a digital clone was made based on technical and scientific replication work carried out from 2008 to 2013.

Why is access to Chauvet Cave so restricted?

Ever since three amateur spelunkers, led by Jean-Marie Chauvet, crawled into the cave on December 18, 1994, and stumbled upon its remarkable trove of drawings and engravings, the government has sharply restricted access in order to preserve its fragile ecosystem.

How long was the Chauvet Cave sealed?

The cave has been sealed off to the public since 1994. Access is severely restricted owing to the experience with decorated caves such as Altamira and Lascaux found in the 19th and 20th century, where the admission of visitors on a large scale led to the growth of mold on the walls that damaged the art in places.

Why was the cave named Chauvet?

The cave was named after Jean-Marie Chauvet, who discovered it on 18 December 1994, together with Christian Hillaire and Eliette Brunel-Deschamps. The researchers found that the cave had been untouched for 20,000-30,000 years.

What animal bones were found in Chauvet Cave?

Jean Clottes The floor of the cave is littered with archaeological and palaeontological remains, including the skulls and bones of cave bears, which hibernated there, along with the skulls of an ibex and two wolves. The cave bears also left innumerable scratches on the walls and footprints on the ground.