Museum of Artifacts: 14000 Years Old Bisons Sculpture Found in Le d’Audoubert Cave, Ariege, France
Museum of Artifacts: 14000 Years Old Bisons Sculpture Found in Le d’Audoubert Cave, Ariege, France
The bison stood beside each other, created from the walls of the cave, leaning against a small boulder in the darkness.
They are 18 feet, 24 inches long, the construction are beautifull and have an outstanding durability.
Until it was discovered in the early 20th century.The bison remained alone for thousands of years in the dark French cave.
The hand signs of the artist are still visible and the methods used to render the face and mane details Items like these indicate clearly that man used clay for artistic expression even before the actual firing of the clay was discovered.
Also the walls of these caves are still lined with drawing of the bison and other game pets, marked in charcoal from fires, as well as minerals such as iron oxide and manganese, suggesting that our early ancestors were familiar with the ceramic colouring materials we still use today.
The bisons’ shaggy mane and beard appear to be carved with a tool, but the jaws are traced by the sculptor’s fingernail.
The impression given is one of immense naturalistic beauty. The female bison is ready to mate, while the Bull is sniffing the air.
Both animals are supported by a central rock and are unbelievably well preserved (proving perhaps that there was never a passage connecting the Tuc d’Audoubert cave with the Trois Freres), although they have suffered some drying out, which has caused some cracks to appear across their bodies.
Also in the chamber are two other bison figures, both engraved on the ground.
Prehistorians have theorized that a small group of people (including a child) remained in the Tuc d’Audoubert cave with the sole reason of participating in certain ceremonies associated with cave art.
The remote location of the clay bison – beneath a low ceiling at the very end of the upper gallery, roughly 650 meters from the entrance, is consistent with their involvement in some type of ritualistic or shamanistic process.