Cave Replicas: Between a Rock and an Art Place
Imagine a simple rock. Etched upon it are images of the human experience, painted in charcoal and red ochre. It’s likely something like this was among humanity’s first pieces of art. Prehistoric art is a direct link to the past, which can be understood as an insight into incipient creative genius and the complexity of human culture. Prehistoric rock art sites can be found all over the world and within a myriad of World Heritage Sites.
Cave art is rock art in conditions that allow it to be extremely well preserved. Cave walls seal the art from the elements and provide a perfect climate for preservation. However, once a site is re-exposed to modern humans and the elements, the art is destroyed. This is why cave art sites impose such intense access restrictions.
Yet for a site to be inscribed on the World Heritage List, it must exhibit “outstanding universal value” (UNESCO). Many cave sites are World Heritage properties and obviously display value, but they are subject to such high security measures. This may appear contradictory from an agency dedicated to showcasing heritage valuable to the entire population. How can we find it valuable when we are not allowed to even see it?
This is where replicas and facsimiles come in. Reproductions of cave sites allow the public to experience their world heritage while preserving it.
When discussions involving replicas come into play, the issue of authenticity generally follows close behind. Authenticity, or the link between the attributes of a site and its outstanding universal value, is a core pillar of World Heritage (UNESCO). A sight is deemed authentic if various attributes including: form and design, materials and substance, use and function, traditions, techniques and management systems, location and setting, language and other forms of intangible heritage, as well as spirit and feeling are “credibly” expressed (UNESCO).
Many people denounce replicas in the name of authenticity; however, cave reproductions acquire the capability to achieve all criteria set by UNESCO. Scientists and researchers undertake huge collaborative efforts with stakeholders in order to utilize new technology to create replicas that can reproduce the criteria necessary to be considered authentic.
To prove this, we will delve into three case studies that explore the efforts involved in each replica to achieve such criteria.
Case Study 1: The Lascaux Cave
The Lascaux cave was accidentally discovered in 1940 after an intense dog rescue mission. Among the Caves of the Vézère Valley, the Lascaux Cave was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979. It has been dated to 20,000 years old and features around 2,000 paintings and engravings of humans, animals and abstract images (UNESCO). After its discovery, the Lascaux Cave faced thousands of humans breathing their carbon-dioxide emissions all over the cave and irreparably destroying the art. Researchers were forced to officially close the cave to the public in the mid 20th century.
In order to allow people to be able to continue to experience and appreciate their world heritage, Lascaux II, the first cave facsimile in the world was created in 1983. In 2016, Lascaux IV opened to the public. Unlike Lascaux II where the cave art is the focus, Lascaux IV attempts to transport visitors to the original cave by emphasizing it’s landscape and environment. Lascaux IV can be contributed to a culmination of three years of research and advanced technological tools. Guests must travel through replicas of two airtight rooms that were built in front of the original cave in order to reach a vaulted chamber that mimics the original atmosphere.
Case Study 2: The Chauvet Cave
While adventuring for the sake of speleology, or the study of caves, Jean-Marie Chauvet and a group of friends discovered the Chauvet Cave in 1994. Twenty years later, the “Decorated Cave of Pont d’Arc, known as Grotte Chauvet-Pont d’Arc, Ardèche” was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2014. The Chauvet Cave contains over 1,000 figurative drawings of humans, animals, and anthropomorphic creatures, as well as geometric patterns and handprints dating up to 40,000 years old.
Learning from the tragic destruction of the Lascaux cave, the Chauvet cave was never opened to the public. The only people who have access to the cave are a small team of researchers and individuals devoted to utilizing strict preventative conservation methods and environmental monitoring procedures. To allow visitors the opportunity to experience the Chauvet cave, researchers developed the largest cave replica in the world. The Grotte Chauvet 2 Ardèche was completed in 2015 after two years of construction. The replica pays homage to the original setting of the cave by constructing it within the landscape to create the illusion of a cave set into a mountain. The replica was designed to portray the cave as it appeared during prehistoric times.
Case Study 3: The Cave of Altamira
In 1868, a hunter happened to stumble upon the Cave of Altamira in Spain. After its discovery, the cave was forgotten for a century until it gained public awareness in the 20th century. The Cave of Altamira was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1985 and features a combination of pictographs and petroglyphs dating to 30,000 years old.
The cave was opened to the public for a short time in the 20th century before access was severely restricted. The presence of modern human beings in the cave caused irreversible damage to the art prompting the implementation of a conservation plan in the 21st century. Soon after the closure of the original cave, the National Museum and Research Center of Altamira created the Neocave of Altamira in 2001. The replica walls were designed to have the same level of absorbability as the original limestone rock, so authentic materials could be used to reproduce the art. The Neocave of Altamira attempts to transport visitors to the cave’s original context by designing the cave as it was during the Paleolithic era. Drawing from archaeological evidence, many objects that imply day-to-day activities are present in the replica.
The invention of rock art is a defining moment in human history and a brilliant facet of our shared world heritage. The World Heritage Convention wants to experience these sites with us, but also wants to protect them for the world. If cave art is to survive, it must be protected from the world. Facsimiles allow stakeholders to experience and appreciate their heritage while preserving the art. Modern technology facilitates in the creation of replicas that are able to credibly express the criteria needed in order to successfully establish authenticity and satisfy the requirements of a site that truly acquires universal value.
Contributors: Jessica Morris, Kelsey L Unger, Michela Kuykendall, Alex Van Allen
Sources:
Alonso, L. (2015). Altamira. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Altamira/
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Bradshaw Foundation. (n.d.). The Cave Art Paintings of the Lascaux Cave. Retrieved from http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/lascaux/
Groeneveld, E. (2017). Chauvet Cave. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Chauvet_Cave/.
Lascaux IV. (1999, November 29). Retrieved from https://www.lascaux.fr/en/prepare-your-visit/visit-lascaux/international-centre-for-cave-art
The Grotte Chauvet 2 Ardèche — The UNESCO Chauvet-Pont d’Arc Cave. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.grottechauvet2ardeche.com/home-page/
World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). UNESCO. Retrieved from https://whc.unesco.org.
