A VIRTUAL TOUR OF LASCAUX CAVE
Lascaux Cave in southwestern France is well-known for its spectacular cave paintings from
the Paleolithic Era. The paintings, mostly of large animals, are thought to be over 17,300
years old.
Lascaux Cave and paintings were discovered in 1940 by four teenage boys. The cave was
open to the public for a few years, but the carbon dioxide produced by thousands of visitors
damaged the paintings, so the cave was closed in order to preserve the art. The paintings
have since been restored to their original state.
Lascaux II, a nearby replica is open to the public.
This web-based activity takes students into the caves for a virtual tour. Included is a
worksheet with questions for students to find answers to and an answer key.
Note: The url is for the English tour; if the English tour does not appear, try using a
different browser.
Copyright © Donna M. Faulkner 2012
A VIRTUAL TOUR OF LASCAUX CAVE
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Go to: http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/#/en/00.xml
Click on "A visit to the cave" and watch the tour.
After the tour, follow the directions ( ►) and answer the following questions
1. In what sequence are the rooms visited on the tour? Number them in the correct order:
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
Passageway
Chamber of Felines
Axial Gallery
The Nave
Shaft & Great Fissure
Hall of Bulls
Apse
►
GO TO THE AXIAL GALLERY
2. What animals are painted on the right wall of the Axial Gallery?
__________________, __________________, __________________, __________________,
3. How many Chinese Horses are on the right wall of the Axial Gallery? __________________
►
GO BACK TO THE CAVE
4. In what part of the cave is The Panel of the Wounded Man located? _____________________________
►
GO TO THE HIDDEN POP UP MENU ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SCREEN.
CLICK ON PARIETAL ART/RAW MATERIALS
5. What are the four main colors used in the paintings?
__________________, __________________, __________________, __________________
►
GO TO THE HIDDEN MENU; CLICK ON PARIETAL ART/THEMES
6. What are the three basic themes found in the paintings?
__________________, __________________, __________________,
7. How many animals are pictured in the cave? ______________
►
GO TO THE HIDDEN MENU; SELECT ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH/THE DISCOVERY
8. In what year was the cave discovered? _____________
►
SELECT PRESERVATION INTERVENTIONS FROM THE HIDDEN MENU FOR A TIMELINE
9. On what date was Lascaux first opened to the public? ______________
10. In what year was Lascaux closed to the public? _______________
BONUS
1: What is Lascaux II? _______________________________________________________________
2: How many people visit Lascaux II each year? ______________
Copyright © Donna M. Faulkner 2012
A VIRTUAL TOUR OF LASCAUX CAVE
Answer Key
1. In what sequence were the rooms visited on the tour?
__3 _ Passageway
__5_ Chamber of Felines
__2_ Axial Gallery
__4_ The Nave
__7_ Shaft & Great Fissure
__1_ Hall of Bulls
__6_ Apse
2. What animals are painted on the right wall?
Any four of the following: Horses, bison, cow, bull, ibexes, stag
3. How many Chinese Horses are on the right wall of the Axial Gallery?
3
4. In what part of the cave is The Panel of the Wounded Man located? Shaft & Great Fissure
5. What are the four main colors used in the paintings? Red, dark brown, yellow, black
6. What are the three basic themes found in the paintings? animals, human figures, signs
7. How many animals are pictured in the cave? 6000
8. In what year was the cave discovered? 1940
9. On what date was Lascaux first opened to the public? July 14, 1948
10. In what year was Lascaux closed to the public? 1963
BONUS 1: What is Lascaux II? A nearby replica of Lascaux that is open to visitors
BONUS 2: How many people visit Lascaux II each year? More than 280,000
Copyright © Donna M. Faulkner 2012