Cave painting of a Bison from Altamira

Outline of cave paintings. Length is about 45.5 feet (13.9m)

Altamira (Spanish for 'high view') is a cave in Spain famous for its Upper Paleolithic cave paintings featuring drawings and polychrome rock paintings of wild mammals and human hands. It is located at 43°22′57″N, 4°06′58″W, near the town of Santillana del Mar in Cantabria, Spain, 30 km west of the city of Santander. The cave with its paintings has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Image File history File links Altamira_Bison. ... Image File history File links Altamira_Bison. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1660x672, 32 KB)Altamira cave paintings. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1660x672, 32 KB)Altamira cave paintings. ... Inside Cave of the Mounds. ... The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. ... Cave or rock paintings are paintings painted on cave or rock walls and ceilings, usually dating to prehistoric times. ... Santillana del Mar is a historic town situated in Cantabria, Spain. ... Capital Santander Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 15th  5 321 km²  1. ... For alternate uses, see Santander. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... UNESCO logo UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ...

Description

The cave is 270 meters long, and consists of a series of twisting passages and chambers. The main passage varies from two to six meters high. The cave was formed through collapses following early karstic phenomena in the calcerous rock of Mount Vispieres. Karst topography occurs when a landscape is marked by underground drainage patterns. ...

Archeological excavations in the cave floor found rich deposits of Upper Solutrean (c. 18,500 years ago) and Lower Magdalenean (between c. 16,500 and 14,000 years ago) artifacts. The cave was occupied only by wild animals in the long period between these two occupations. The site was well positioned to take advantage of the rich wildlife that grazed in the valleys of the surrounding mountains as well as permitting the occupants to supplement their diet with food from nearby coastal areas. Around 13,000 years ago a rockfall sealed the cave's entrance preserving its contents until its eventual discovery which was caused by blasting from nearby quarrying disturbing the fallen rocks. Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... The Solutrean industry was an advanced flint tool making style of the Upper Palaeolithic. ... The Magdalenian, also spelt Magdalénien, refers to one of the later culture of the Upper Palaeolithic in western Europe. ...

Human occupation was limited to the cave mouth although paintings were created throughout the length of the cave. The artists used charcoal and ochre or haematite to create the images, often scratching or diluting these dyes to produce variances in intensity and creating an impression of chiaroscuro. They also exploited the natural contours in the cave walls to give a three-dimensional effect to their subjects. The Polychrome Ceiling is the most impressive feature showing a herd of bison in different poses, two horses, a large hind and a possible wild boar. Charcoal is the blackish residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. ... This article is about the color. ... Hematite (AE) or haematite (BE) is the mineral form of Iron (III) oxide, (Fe2O3), one of several iron oxides. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Tenebrism. ... The word Hind can refer to: A female deer, usually the red deer. ... Binomial name Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 The Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) is the wild ancestor of the domesticated pig. ...

This art is dated to the Magdelenean occupation and as well as animal subjects also included abstract shapes. Solutrean images include images of horses, goats and handprints created from the artist placing his hand on the cave wall in spraying paint over it leaving a negative image of his palm. Numerous other caves in northern Spain contain Palaeolithic art but none is as advanced or well-populated as Altamira. Species See Species and subspecies The goat is a mammal in the genus Capra, which consists of nine species: the Ibex, the West Caucasian Tur, the East Caucasian Tur, the Markhor, and the Wild Goat. ...

Discovery, excavation, scepticisms

In 1879, amateur archaeologist Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola was led by his eight-year-old daughter to discover the cave's drawings. The cave was excavated by Sautuola and archaelogist Juan Vilanova y Piera from the University of Madrid, resulting in a much acclaimed publication in 1880 which interpretated the paintings as paleolithic in origin. The French specialists, led by Gabriel de Mortillet and Emile Cartailhac, were particularly adamant in rejecting the hypothesis of Sautuola and Piera, and their findings were loudly ridiculed at the 1880 Prehistorical Congress in Lisbon. Due to the supreme artistic quality, and the exceptional state of conservation of the paintings, Sautuola was even accused of forgery. A fellow countryman maintained that the paintings had been produced by a contemporary artist, on Sautuola's orders. 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Don Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola (1831-1888): Spanish jurist and amateur archaeologist, who owned the land where the Altamira cave was found. ... 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Louis Laurent Gabriel de Mortillet (August 29, 1821 - September 25, 1898), French anthropologist, was born at Meylau, Isère. ... Émile Cartailhac (15 February 1845 - 26 November 1921) was a French prehistorian. ... Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Lisbon  - Subregion Grande Lisboa  - District or A.R. Lisbon Mayor Carmona Rodrigues  - Party PSD Area 84. ...

It was not until 1902, when several other findings of prehistoric paintings had served to render the hypothesis of the extreme antiquity of the Altamira-paintings less offensive, that the scientific society retracted their opposition to the Spaniards. That year, Emile Cartailhac emphatically admitted his mistake in the famous article, "Mea culpa d'une sceptique", published in the journal L'Anthropologie. 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Sautuola, having died 14 years earlier, did not live to enjoy the restitution of his honour.

Further excavation work on the cave was done by Hermilio Alcalde del Río in 1902-04, the German Hugo Obermaier in 1924-25 and finally by Joaquín González Echegaray in 1981. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Visitors and replicas

During the 1960s and 1970s, the paintings were being damaged by the damp breath of large numbers of visitors. Altamira was completely closed to the public in 1977, and reopened to limited access in 1982. Very few visitors are allowed in per day, resulting in a three-year waiting list. A replica cave and museum were built nearby and completed in 2001 by Manuel Franquelo and Sven Nebel, reproducing the cave and its art. The replica allows a more comfortable view of the polychrome paintings of the main hall of the cave, as well as a selection of minor works. It also includes some sculptures of human faces that are not visitable in the real cave.^[1] For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Manuel Franquelo (born c. ...

There are other replicas in the National Archaeological Museum of Spain (Madrid), in the Deutsche Museum in Munich (completed 1964), and in Japan (completed 1993). The National Archaeological Museum (Spanish: Museo Arqueológico Nacional) of Spain is in Madrid, beside the Plaza de Colón (Columbus Square), sharing its building with the National Library. ... This article is about the Spanish capital. ... Deutsches Museum The Deutsches Museum is one of the worlds largest museums of technology and science. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: München, (pronounced listen) is the capital of the German Federal State of Bavaria (German: Freistaat Bayern). ...

Cultural impact

Several painters were influenced by the Altamira cave paintings. After a visit, Picasso famously exclaimed "after Altamira, all is decadence". A young Pablo Picasso Pablo Picasso, formally Pablo Ruiz Picasso, (October 25, 1881 - April 8, 1973) was one of the recognized masters of 20th century art. ...

Some of the polychrome paintings at Altamira Cave are well known in Spanish popular culture. The logo used by the autonomous government of Cantabria to promote tourism to the region is based on one of the bisons in this cave. Bisonte (Spanish for 'Bison'), a Spanish brand of cigarettes of the 20th century, also used a Paleolithic style bison figure along with its logo. A lit cigarette will burn to ash on one end. ...

The Spanish comic character and series Altamiro de la Cueva, created in 1965, are a clear consequence of the fame of Altamira Cave. The comic series depicts the adventures of a group of prehistoric cavemen, shown as modern people, but dressed in pieces of fur, a bit like the Flintstones. See comedian Stand up comedian List of Comedians List of British comedians comics comic book comic strip underground comics alternative comics web comic sprite comics manga graphic novel List of comic characters This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the... Altamiro de la Cueva is a Spanish fictional character and a comic series created in 1965 by Joan Bernet Toledano and Carles Bech for a Spanish comic magazine, TBO. These stories feature funny adventures of a bunch of prehistoric cavemen. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... The Flintstones, an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, is one of the most successful animated television series of all time. ...

The rock band Steely Dan wrote the song "The Caves of Altamira" for their 1976 album, The Royal Scam. Steely Dan is an American rock band centered around the core members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. ... The Caves of Altamira is a song from Steely Dans The Royal Scam. ... Originally released in May 1976, The Royal Scam was an album by rock group Steely Dan. ...

See also

• Lascaux, Franco-Cantabric art
• Cave painting

Lascaux Lascaux is a complex of caves in southwestern France famous for its cave paintings. ... Cave or rock paintings are paintings painted on cave or rock walls and ceilings, usually dating to prehistoric times. ...

Reference

1. ^ Travel Advisory; A Modern Copy Of Ancient Masters, The New York Times, 4 November 2001

The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ...

Bibliography

• Curtis, Gregory. The Cave Painters: Probing the Mysteries of the World's First Artists. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006 (hardcover, ISBN 1400043484)).
• Guthrie, R. Dale. The Nature of Prehistoric Art. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006 (hardcover, ISBN 0226311260).
• McNeill, William H. "Secrets of the Cave Paintings", The New York Review of Books, Vol. 53, No. 16, October 19, 2006.

External links

• Altamira Cave National Museum In Spanish and English
• The story of Altamira

World Heritage Sites in Spain

Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada | Altamira Cave | Aranjuez Cultural Landscape | Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida | Archaeological Ensemble of Tárraco | Archaeological Site of Atapuerca | Ávila with its extra-mural Churches | Burgos Cathedral | Cáceres | Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí | Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias, Seville | Cordoba | Cuenca | Doñana | Garajonay | Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture | Las Médulas | El Escorial | Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon | Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias | Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona | Palmeral of Elche | Poblet Monastery | Pyrénées - Mont Perdu (w/ France) | Renaissance Monuments of Úbeda and Baeza | Rock-Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula | Roman Walls of Lugo | Route of Santiago de Compostela | Salamanca | San Cristóbal de La Laguna | San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries | Santa María de Guadalupe | Santiago de Compostela | Segovia and its Aqueduct | Silk Exchange in Valencia | Toledo | University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares | Vizcaya Bridge | Works of Antoni Gaudí Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ... 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Aqueduct of Segovia The Aqueduct of Segovia (or more precisely, the aqueduct bridge) is one of the most significant and best-preserved monuments left by the Romans on the Iberian Peninsula. ... La Lonja de la Seda. ... [[ Image:Toledo, Spain Toledo is a city and municipality located in central Spain, about 70 kilometers south of Madrid. ... Alcalá de Henares is a Spanish city. ... Portugalete Transporter Bridge, commonly called Puente Colgante A large ship crossing under the bridge The Puente Colgante has the official name of Bizkaiko Zubia - Puente de Vizcaya (Bridge of Biscay) and it is a transporter bridge that links the towns of Portugalete and Getxo in the Biscay province of Spain... Antoni Gaudí i Cornet, in Spanish also known as Antonio Gaudí (25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926), was a Spanish Catalan architect of the Modernisme (Art Nouveau) movement famous for his unique style and highly individualistic designs. ...