Where is Altamira Cave located? When was it painted?

It is located in Northern Spain. It was painted 15,000 years ago. Using charcoal and the curve of the cave walls to create 3-D effects, ancient artists painted bison, horses, deer, and other animals that looked so realistic, archaeologists thought they were forgeries when the caves were discovered in the late 1800s. They didn’t believe Stone Age artists had the intellectual capacity for such creativity. They were wrong.

The Altamira cave is 270 metres (890 feet) long. In the vestibule numerous archaeological remains belonging to the Aurignacian (Perigordian), upper Solutrean, and lower or middle Magdalenian periods were found, including ceremonial staves and engraved animal shoulder blades. The great lateral chamber that contains most of the paintings measures 18 metres by 9 metres, the height of the vault varying from 1.15 metres to 2.65 metres. The roof of the chamber is covered with paintings, chiefly of bison, executed in a magnificent, vivid polychrome of red, black, and violet tones. There are also two wild boars, some horses, a hind, and some other figures in a simpler style; in addition, there are eight engraved anthropomorphic figures, various handprints, and hand outlines. The other galleries contain numerous black-painted or engraved figures. In many cases, the creator of the designs exploited the natural contours of the rock surface.

 

Picture Credit : Google