Unlike most other decorated rock shelters of the Upper Paleolithic, Altamira cave was a place of domestic human habitation This was limited to the cave mouth and lobby area, although paintings and petroglyphs were created throughout the length of the cave.
About 12, BCE, a landslide sealed the cave's entrance, thus preserving its contents until its accidental discovery in the late 19th century. Like many similar prehistoric caves, Altamira has been dogged by environmental and conservation problems. It was closed for conservation purposes in reopened , and again in Today, the cave is only accessible to scientists and a handful of visitors chosen by lottery. For details about how the cave murals of Altamira fit into the evolution of Stone Age culture, see: Prehistoric Art Timeline.
For a comparison with early African painting, please see the animal images on the Apollo 11 Cave Stones c. The cave was first discovered in by Modesto Peres, a local hunter searching for his dog, but it wasn't until that the murals on the ceiling of the cave were spotted by Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola a local nobleman and amateur archeologist, when excavating the cave floor for artifacts.
Sautuola examined the cave further along with Juan Vilanova y Piera, an archeologist from the University of Madrid, and the pair published a report stating that the cave's wall paintings and engravings belonged to the Palelithic era of prehistory.
Experts who read the report, notably the French scholars Gabriel de Mortillet and Emile Cartailhac, ridiculed its findings at the Prehistorical Congress in Lisbon, although eventually, in , they and other scientists in the archeological establishment admitted their mistake and acknowledged the authenticity of the Altamira paintings.
For four decades thereafter Altamira was the world's leading showcase of prehistoric ancient art , until its eclipse by the Lascaux cave paintings in the late s. The first significant research into the age of Altamira's rock art was done by French paleolithic scholars Andre Leroi-Gourhan and Annette Laming.
Using the carbon 14 dating method, they found that two of the cave paintings dated to between 15, and 12, BCE, which placed them in the Magdalenian Style III period. In , researchers analyzed eight strata in the floor of the cave: five corresponded to the Magdalenian era, between 12, and 13, BCE; two paintings along with a few prehistoric hand stencils related to the Solutrean culture of between 15, and 17, BCE.
But the main discovery was an eighth level, previously undetected, dating back to the Gravettian era of about 20, BCE. To everyone's astonishment, they found that certain artworks were created between 23, and 33, BCE. So the above artworks could be even older.
These recent dating results are consistent with other finds in the region. In , for example, a red dot and a hand print found at the El Castillo Cave - also in Cantabria - were dated to at least 39, BCE and 35, BCE respectively Aurignacian era , making them the oldest art of their type from any cave in Europe.
Only La Ferrassie Cave Cupules c. Layout of Altamira Cave. Originally the cave had a huge covered entrance, some 20 metres 66 feet wide and 6 metres 40 feet high. This led directly into a large hall, usually lit by daylight, which was where the inhabitants lived. Save favourite. Remove favourite. Go to my favourites. Email: informacion. What to do Travel plans for inspiring you. The Museum is in charge of a legacy of maximum value, the cave of Altamira, a milestone in universal art history which discovery meant the discovery of Palaeolithic cave art and one of its most spectacular manifestations.
This meticulous and exact reproduction, made in full scale, reconstructs the cave of Altamira as it was between 22, and 13, years ago, when it was inhabited by groups of hunter gatherers. The remains of the everyday life of its inhabitants can be found in the hall area, where there are large collections of fauna, shells, charcoals, and utensils made out of flint stone, antler and bone, as well as the remains of pigments and objects of furniture that provide information about their way of life.
The art surprises the visitor, specially the colorful roof with its bison, horses, deer, goats, and painted and engraved symbols.
It is in this part of the cave, scarcely penetrated by daylight, where the spaces of ritual and myth begin. This collection of animals and symbols represents a worldview, the spirituality of the hunters of the Upper Palaeolithic age and the start of our history.
The art of Altamira stands out on account of the quality of its paintings and engravings, as well as for the diversity of techniques and styles, and the collection of art spanning a period of more than twenty thousand years. It is the most spectacular embodiment of cave art and constitutes the masterpiece of brilliant painters. The program succeeded in reconstructing the history of the cave and consolidating the documentation of its artefact collections. Consequently, research on the archaeological deposit and new dates for the art has contributed towards a new understanding of the Cave of Altamira.
Of the many artefacts discovered, two in particular merit attention. The permanent exhibition 'The times of Altamira' gives visitors a closer look at the prehistoric era of the Iberian Peninsula.
Different aspects of prehistoric life in Altamira are shown: art, culture, life, etc. The life of the hunters and gatherers of the Upper Palaeolithic age is revealed through the archaeological objects on display, which take into account their original context and show how they were used and created.
Hunters and gatherers satisfied their requirements for survival by selecting natural resources through hunting, fishing and gathering. Part of their daily routine took place inside the caves, around the fire. Visitors can find out about their diet, the preparation of skins for making clothes and personal ornaments, the organization of the society and its relationship to its surroundings, the economics of exploiting the surrounding environment, seasonal movement throughout the land, and the main archaeological sites in Cantabria.
It followed on from the 2 previous colloquia: the Namibia colloquium 'Art on the Rocks - A Global Heritage' and the United States colloquium 'Art on the Rocks - Developing action plans for public and professional networking' held in California and Texas.
The reproduction of the cave - the Neocave - presents Altamira as a Palaeolithic venue, a habitation site and a sanctuary. This meticulous and exact reproduction, made in full scale, reconstructs the cave of Altamira as it was between 22, and 13, years ago, when it was inhabited by groups of hunter-gatherers. The remains of everyday life of its inhabitants can be found in the museum's exhibition area, where there are large collections of fauna, shells, charcoals, and utensils made out of flint stone, antler and bone, as well as the remains of pigments and objects of furniture that provide information about their way of life.
The visit coincided with the new exhibition at the Museum of Altamira, displaying images of the cave paintings of Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg - which has the greatest concentration of this type of art - as well as objects of the San material culture. The Cave of Altamira. Faith and Science, Discovery and Dogma. Cave of Altamira entrance. Polychrome ceiling. Bison The ceiling with the Polychrome Bison. Hind The ceiling with the Polychrome Bison.
Red horse The ceiling of the Red Horses. Red sign The ceiling of the Red Horses. Black bison head. Engraved deer.
Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola. Airbrushes on bird bone from the cave of Altamira. De grotten zijn goed bewaard gebleven doordat ze zich ondergronds bevinden en daardoor afgeschermd zijn van externe klimatologische invloeden. De gedecoreerde grotten gelden als creatieve meesterwerken en als eerste volleerde kunst van de mensheid. Ze getuigen van een culturele traditie en het zijn mooie voorbeelden van een belangrijke fase in de menselijke geschiedenis. Source: unesco. About us.
Special themes. Major programmes.
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