Replicas of 36,000-year-old mammoth cave paintings from the Ice Age to open to public in southern France in April

By Rita

What we once read about in history textbooks"prehistoric cave paintings"with their rough yet vivid strokes depicting the lives of ancient people, will now be available for people to see with their own eyes.

▲ Chauvet Cave (Photo / Wikipedia)

Located in southern France, the Chauvet Cave (French: Grotte Chauvet), renowned for its thousands of prehistoric paintings, has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered "the earliest human relic."

According to the UK's Daily Mail, the French government has not yet opened the original caves to the public due to preservation concerns. However, a simulation replication project of the caves commenced in 2012, about 800 meters from the original site, and is expected to be completed this April, allowing the public to glimpse the lives of prehistoric humans from 36,000 years ago.

The original cave contains five chambers, but in the replicas, designers have deliberately highlighted the most important relics with the primary goal of “education.” These paintings are believed to have been created by Paleolithic humans and include depictions of horses, rhinoceroses, lions, buffaloes, mammoths, and hunters, featuring rare species from the Ice Age, some of which are even extinct.

The project cost a total of $670,000 and utilized 3-D modeling and 6,000 digital images for the replication process. In addition to enjoying the serene natural scenery of southern France, visitors might want to check out this significant historical site.