An alternative chronology for the art of Chauvet cave
Files
Download Full Text
Publication Date
6-1-2015
Publication Title
Antiquity
Volume Number
89
Issue Number
345
Abstract
It is now 20 years since the discovery of the Grotte Chauvet with its impressive cave art, but controversy continues over the antiquity of the images. Radiocarbon assays have been used to argue that the ‘black series’ charcoal drawings date to the Aurignacian period, more than 20 000 years earlier than traditional stylistic models would suggest. This paper questions the validity of the radiometric dating and cautions against reliance solely on the date of the charcoal. Instead, the authors propose an alternative chronology for the art of Chauvet based on stylistic comparanda, palaeontological remains and stratigraphic evidence.
Document Type
Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2015.21
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Pettitt, Paul and Bahn, Paul, "An alternative chronology for the art of Chauvet cave" (2015). KIP Articles. 8949.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/8949
