In 1879, a five-year-old child wandered about 30 yards into a cave her grandfather was exploring in Altamira, Spain. When she looked up at the ceiling—only six to seven feet from the floor in some places—she became the first person in thousands of years to see the cave's magnificent prehistoric paintings of bison and other animals. Find Altamira on the map below, and click on it for more information about the cave.






Since that 1879 discovery in Altamira, about 200 caves containing prehistoric paintings have been discovered in France and Spain. At first, no one believed that these skillfully painted, many-colored images of animals could have been the work of prehistoric artists. But in time they were authenticated and, as new caves were discovered, the animal subjects became a recurring theme.

What was the purpose of the cave paintings?
Some historians suggest that the caves are less galleries than sanctuaries. The way the animal figures are placed within the winding tunnels and caverns of the cave suggests the paintings may have had a religious or mythological significance within the Magdalenian culture. Of all the animals depicted, the bison, or aurochs, is often the most prominent.


These early hunters knew their prey intimately. The true-to-life details of the animals-the curve of the horn, the tuft of the tail or mane, the grace of motion-are obviously the result of close observation. Cave artists even observed their subjects with "x-ray" vision, sometimes showing an animal's innards. Since many of the animals are shown pierced by spears, some scholars suggest that the paintings played a role in hunting magic.

Seldom pictured, except in the cave in Chauvet, France, are threatening carnivores-lions, panthers, bears, hyenas. The discovery of this cave in late 1994, with its surprising gallery of images of predatory animals, raised new questions about the purpose of cave paintings. Did the artists paint these fierce animals to celebrate the idea that, unlike their Neanderthal predecessors, they had managed to keep the carnivores at bay? Did the artists regard themselves as carnivores and in some way worship their cousins? The discovery at Chauvet led scientists to speculate that Upper Paleolithic people had a richer and more complex relationship with animals than previously assumed.

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Credits: Hall of Bulls at Lascaux Sisse Brimberg/National Geographic Image Collection.