Worldcrunch
Updated September 12, 2024 at 12:00 a.m. The Lascaux cave paintings were accidentally discovered by four teenagers on this day in 1940. Marcel Ravidat, Jacques Marsal, Georges Agnel, and Simon Coencas stumbled upon the entrance to the cave while searching for their dog. They later informed local authorities, leading to the exploration and subsequent recognition […]
A tall, heavy beast with long, forward-curving horns faced down a smaller bull. Its head was held high as if in challenge. The smaller animal seemed to recoil in submission. Even the cave lion, the largest of predators, looked unlikely to challenge the dominant bull. Behind them a herd of giant deer ran from unseen danger. This scene was depicted in a painting on a cavern wall at Lascaux, France, 17,000 years ago. Megaloceros, the giant deer in the background, are extinct. The cave lion is extinct. The bulls – a species called aurochs (pronounced “aur-ox”) – have disappeared. Their […]