DESCRIPTION :

Some 15,000 years B.C. unknown artists created breathtaking cave paintings of which the most extraordinary examples are found in the Dordogne area. During this day you will be introduced to this fascinating art and to the people who made it.

Begin the day in Les Eyzies de Tayac for a guided visit of the National Prehistory Museum. Opened in 2004, this national museum possesses the largest collection of prehistoric artifacts in the world.

Continue to Montignac where you will visit Lascaux II cave, a perfect reproduction of the original cave. Opened in 1983, Lascaux II is a triumph of technology, unique in the world. Rigorous scientific and artistic methods were used to recreate the incomparable atmosphere of the original cave: a reinforced concrete shell was created using shipbuilding techniques, the relief of the cave was reconstituted down to the tiniest detail, and the polychromatic paintings were executed just as the originals were 17 000 years ago, using natural pigments.

Finally, end the tour with the visit of Rouffignac Cave that possesses original and authentic etchings and drawings. The Rouffignac cave was already mentioned in 1575 by François de Belleforest. In his Cosmographie universelle he cites “paintings and animal traces”. In the 19th century the cave was known as a tourist attraction. Famous archaeologists like Henry Breuil, André Glory and Martel had visited the cave in the early 20th century, but it was only in 1956 when Louis-René Nougier and Romain Robert, two prehistorians from the Pyrenees, rediscovered and confirmed the cave art. After the visit, return to Sarlat.

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