Chauvet Caves @ nationalgeographic.com

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Chauvet Caves

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Ice Age Gallery
Photograph courtesy of the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs, Rhône-Alpes region, Regional Department of Archaeology

Some 35,000 years ago an Ice Age man—or woman—spray-painted a wordless “I was here” on Chauvet Cave’s walls. The artist most likely created the image by spitting finely ground red pigment over and around a hand pressed firmly to the rock. Similar stencils are known from painted caves throughout the world.