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Glossary
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| Lascaux |
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The Lascaux cave is located in southwestern France, on the
hills above the Vezere River. This is near the town of Montignac in the
Dordogne Valley. The Lascaux cave was formed when water sneaked in through the cracks, dissolving the limestone which the cave is made of. This eventually turned the place into a cave. One of many in the region, Lascaux has a horizontal entrance and unlike many caves in the region has irregular and diverted water flow. This cave was first discovered by four teenage boys, back in 1940. While with their dog, Robot, the boys made this discovery . Well actually Robot did when he fell into a deep hole and had to be rescued. This led to the uncovering of one of the most important sites of prehistoric man which quickly brought people from all over France to visit this new exhibit of nature. With the popularity, though, there came a price. After a few studies scientists realized that the carbon dioxide from the breath released by the tourists was damaging the cave. Also, the finger oils were slowly demolishing the beautiful cave paintings. Sadly only a few years after its opening, Lascaux was closed to the public. After the devastating closure of Lascaux people decided that the public shouldn't be denied its beauty. With this in mind, a replica of Lascaux was built in 1983. Now everyone could view the breathtaking cave pictures without damaging the real cave. The replica was built on the same hill as the original and was very close to the way the original cave looked like. Now the Lascaux cave replica is visited by thousands each year. |
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