PROTECTING THE TREASURES
By exploring a VR version, people can
experience the caves without damaging the ancient artwork
After World War II, the Lascaux caves were opened to the public. Within 15 years, the resulting changes in temperature, humidity and bacteria – plus CO2 exhaled by 1000 visitors a day – damaged many of the cave paintings beyond recognition. Clumsy excavation and the installation of concrete pathways and lighting further impaired the site. In 1963, the Lascaux was sealed, but in the intervening years, the walls have been attacked by a variety of mould and fungi. Now, the caves are only opened for a total of 200 hours per year, and only for conservation work and research. Since closing, the site has become home to a series of exhibits attempting to bring some of the magic of the caves to visitors – and scientists – unable to experience them in person. The first iteration, dubbed Lascaux II, was opened in 1983, and is a facsimile of the caves. It even uses the same materials and pigments to reproduce the images. Lascaux II is now a permanent exhibition close to the actual caves. Lascaux III came in 2012, with even more precise replicas of certain sections of the cave walls, which have toured the world for use in museums and for research. A new museum on the site, called Lascaux IV, incorporates exhibits alongside the full-scale cave replica. Around the time of Lascaux III’s construction, a high-quality 3D scan of the caves was made.
ne of the most important finds in the history of art was discovered by a dog named Robot. On 12 September 1940, Robot fell into a hole in the ground near Montignac, in
the Dordogne region of France. His owner, 18-year- old Marcel Ravidat, and three friends clambered into the hole to rescue Robot. What they discovered was a network of caves covered in hundreds of paintings – bison, lions, deer, horses, aurochs, ibex, humans and abstract symbols, rendered onto the cave walls over 15,000 years ago.
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