A gradual succession of similar finds has continued throughout the twentieth century. Arguably the most famous of these was discovered in 1940 at Lascaux, France.
The Lascaux cave was discovered by four teenage boys in September 1940, and was first studied by the French archaeologist Henri-Edouard-Prosper Breuil. Some of the most compelling and informative cave paintings have been documented at this site. The layout and dimensions are notable in and of themselves. Consisting of a main cavern measuring approximately 66 feet (20 m) wide and 16 feet(4.9 m) high, there are many very steep galleries. All of the walls are amazingly decorated with engraved, drawn, and painted figures. Archaeologists have found some 600 painted and drawn animals and symbols, along with nearly 1,500 engravings.
The paintings appear to have been done on a light background in various shades of yellow, red, brown, and black. Among the most remarkable pictures are four huge (over 16 feet [4.9 m] long) aurochs (a now extinct species of wild ox). The paintings also depict a mysterious twohorned animal (misleadingly nicknamed the "unicorn"), which some researchers suspect was intended to depict a mythical creature. Several other species are scattered about the walls, including red deer, great herds of horses and bison, the heads and necks of several stags, which appear to be swimming across a river, a series of six big cats (possibly lions or panthers), and a rare narrative-like illustration.
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