Cosquer Cave :: Anthropology Research Papers

Cosquer CaveAround 27,000 years ago it is believed that large glaciers were revolve across the Alps. These glaciers were so large and held such a large metre of water that the sea level of the Mediterranean dropped some 100 meters. When the coal scuttle of the subvert was revealed, men entered the hollow out and drew amazing paintings and drawings along the walls. When the realm became warm again the glaciers melted, and the sea level rose. The subvert entrance was formerly again covered up by 37 meters of water. (Time Travellers) This cave was confidential for thousands of years until 1985, when scuba diver Henri Cosquer find the cave entrance. It is some one hundred ten feet below sea level on Cabo Morgiou, which is near Marseille, in the grey part of France. It led him through a 450 feet long sloping delve to a large air-filled chamber. When Henri returned in 1991 to the dark chamber, he detect a handprint on the cave wall. Soon he noticed more handprints. When Henri re turned with other explorers, they searched and found ar twork and many pictograph and petroglyphs. (Dawn of Prehistoric.) After doing radiocarbon geological dating, explorers discovered that the first handprint Cosquer found was 27,000 years old. At the time, it was the oldest date for a cave painting known anywhere. With more searching, charcoal was found and dated as being 27,870 to 26,360 years old. The gap in the dating leads explorers to believe that the cave was in disuse during the gap amidst the dates. (Dawn of Prehistoric) Radiocarbon dating done on the paintings and drawings of the animals has lead prehistorians to believe these works ar between 18,500 and 19,000 years old. Of the hundred animal images, horses are nearly one-third of the drawings. some(prenominal) of the horses only show the heads, while some represent the entire frame of the animal. Other animal paintings include ibexes, chamois and some bison. (The Cosquer Cave) A astonishment to many of the explor ers were the paintings of sea animals. Although sea level was around 360 feet lower thence the cave entrance, and the cave entrance was only a couple kilometers from shore. blue jean Clottes and Jean Courtin, two prehistorians, said One of the most delightful surprises of the Cosquer cave was its depiction of sea animals. A few paintings and engravings of saltwater fish are known in Upper Paleolithic cave art, but drawings that touch like seals had so far only been recorded in two cave, at La Pileta and at Nerja in Andalusia.