In September 1940, a teenager and his dog found a hole in a French hillside. Behind it lay Lascaux, a cave of paintings hidden for about 17,000 years. It began on September 8 with Marcel Ravidat, a 17-year-old apprentice mechanic. A fallen elm tree had left a gap in the ground on a wooded hill. His dog Robot sniffed at the gap. Marcel later said the dog fell in, but most records suggest Robot only caught the scent of an animal. Either way, Marcel saw a dark opening and thought of a local legend. A secret tunnel was said to run from a nearby manor, perhaps hiding treasure. He came back alone and widened the hole a little. Then he decided he needed friends and a better light. What was down there?
The Boys Who Found Lascaux
On September 8, 1940, 17-year-old Marcel Ravidat and his dog Robot found a cave of paintings hidden for millennia.
Chapter 1
A Dog and a Hole
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who discovered the Lascaux cave and when?
Marcel Ravidat, a 17-year-old apprentice mechanic, found the opening on September 8, 1940, after his dog Robot sniffed at a gap left by a fallen elm tree. On September 12 he returned with Jacques Marsal, Georges Agniel and Simon Coencas, and the four boys climbed down into the cave.
What is the Hall of the Bulls at Lascaux?
It is a gallery roughly 19 meters long with 36 painted animals, including four dominant black bulls, horses and a row of stags. The largest bull is over 5 meters long, one of the largest single animal figures found in prehistoric cave art.
Why was Lascaux closed to the public in 1963?
Moisture and carbon dioxide from visitors, up to 1,800 a day at the peak, caused a green sickness of algae and a white sickness of calcite on the walls. Minister of Cultural Affairs André Malraux ordered the cave closed on April 20, 1963. A replica, Lascaux II, was built about 200 meters away.
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