Paintings in the Font-de-Gaume cave use multiple colors, leverage the natural contours of the rock, and incorporate etchings for added detail, resulting in a three-dimensional effect. The Bison depicted on the right exemplifies all three techniques.
We recently visited the Font-de-Gaume cave in the Vézère Valley, an area of South-West France renowned as the "world capital of prehistory" with its fifteen UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Although we were not allowed to touch the cave walls or take photographs, while navigating the narrow passageways of the cave we attempted to envision how our prehistoric ancestors perceived the sights and sounds. Familiar shapes in the contours of the cave walls may have appeared to come to life as the flickering light of the torches passed by, reminiscent of seeing forms in slowly shifting cloud formations. It seems evident that, at least in some cases, the natural shapes of the cave walls influenced where these ancient artworks were created.
The cave boasts over 200 motifs, predominantly depicting animals through paintings and etchings.
Placard just outside the cave entrance depicting some of the sketches made of the paintings by archeologist Henri Breuil after their discovery in 1901.
Another intriguing explanation for the placement of motifs is their association with areas exhibiting acoustic responses, such as echo effects and resonances. Visitors walking through the Font-de-Gaume cave can perceive these resonances, similar to what one hears in a tiled bathroom, simply by humming very softly.
Some experts believe that prehistoric humans may have used sound to help them navigate caves, and that paintings may have marked areas where acoustic effects were strongest, like aural sign-posts. Some claim that they can find the locations of paintings in the dark, solely through the perception of acoustic responses. Others believe that our ancient ancestors may have used spots with strong resonances or echo effects in their rituals, where animals would have played a large role. One expert suggested that paintings of animals with hooves, like horses, might appear where there are echo effects, making the sound of galloping while clapping.
Recent studies, including a comprehensive investigation by Bruno Fazenda (see link at bottom), have introduced skepticism regarding some of these hypothesis. Nonetheless, Fazenda's research does establish a statistical correlation between the placement of motifs and acoustic responses within caves.
The Font-de-Gaume cave is the only cave in France with polychrome (multi-colored) paintings still open to the public, but access is restricted.
There is a widely accepted connection between caves and sound production, exemplified by the discovery of flutes made from bird and animal bones in Upper Paleolithic caves across Europe. There appears however to be only one piece of evidence directly linking sound production to cave paintings: the Marsoulas conch trumpet, dating to the Magdalenian period (15,000-10,000 BCE), contemporaneous with the paintings at Font-de-Gaume. Inside the Marsoulas conch, there are red ochre patterns that mirror those found on the cave walls where it was discovered, and alterations to the shell indicate that it was used as a lip-blown instrument.
Entrance to the Font-de-Gaume Cave
Paleolithic caves and prehistoric sound production is just one of many fascinating topics students encounter in Around the World in Twenty-One Trumpets. To experience a resonance in a cave, one must produce the right frequency of vibration, just as is necessary with a lip-blown instrument. The 8ft natural trumpet can be thought of as an extensive cave system, with many naturally occurring acoustic resonances.
Fazenda Research:
https://pubs.aip.org/asa/jasa/article/142/3/1332/613146/Cave-acoustics-in-prehistory-Exploring-the
Marsoulas Conch: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abe9510