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The Cosquer cave is located in the Calanque de Morgiou near Marseille, France, not very far from Cap Morgiou. This cave, which entrance is nowadays located underwater, was disovered by Henri Cosquer in 1991.
Description
Today, the grotto can be accessed through a 175-meter long tunnel, the entrance of which is located 37 meters under the level of the sea.
20,000 years ago, during the last glaciation, large volumes of water were retained in enormous ice capes, making the level of the sea 110 to 120 meters lower than today. The shore of Mediterranean sea was then several kilometers away from the grotto.
The Art of Cosquer Cave
This cave contains several dozen painting and carvings dating back to Upper Paleolithic, matching two different phases of occupation of the cave:
- Older drawings of hand stencils and other related motives, dating back to 27,000 BP (Gravettian)
- Newer drawings of signs and animal drawings dating back to 19,000 BP (Solutrean), representing both "classical" animals such as bisons, ibexes, and horses but also marine animals such as seals and what appear to be penguins and medusas.
See also
- The main article on Cave painting
External links
- Prehistory and coastal karst area: Cosquer Cave and the “Calanques” of Marseille
- Official French Ministry of Culture pages on The Cosquer Cave
References
- Jean Clottes, Jean Courtin, La grotte Cosquer, Seuil, 1994, ISBN 2020198207 (French)
- Jean Clottes, Jean Courtin, Luc Vanrell, Cosquer redécouvert, Seuil, 2005, ISBN 2020655500 (French)
- The Cave Beneath the Sea: Paleolithic Images at Cosquer by Jean Clottes and Jean Courtin (1996) Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York ISBN 0-8109-4033-7 English translation by Marilyn Garner from the French edition
"Cosquer Cave"