Born of Love

AUTHOR’S NOTEThe caves of the Dordogne were there for thousands of years before they were discovered. One of the most significant was found in 1868 and revealed, in addition to flints and carved bones of the Aurignacian Age, three skeletons of adults. They were studied by Paul Broca, the surgeon and anthropologist who founded the School of Anthropology in France. The discoveries in this cave, known as the Cro-Magnon, were of prime importance in prehistoric studies. Some of the caves are exceptionally beautiful with stalactites and stalagmites. In 1901 a cave was discovered which demonstrated the importance of the Magdalenian Age at a time when all the anthropologists were becoming sceptical about prehistoric studies. A secondary passage with cave drawings was the stage on which prehistoric man acted out his life. This can be seen from the traces of a domestic midden and the tools of the Magdalenian men, which have also been unearthed. Later still, in 1940, the Lascaux Cave was held as one of the greatest prehistoric finds in Europe for the large number and life-like quality of the paintings on the walls. This cave was discovered by four boys looking for their dog, which had disappeared down a hole. The majority of the animals that appear on the walls are female and pregnant, symbolising fertility and some appear to be transfixed by arrows. The gorges for which the Dordogne is famous are so enormous that there are very likely to be a great many more hidden, which have yet to be discovered.