The Caves of Altamira is a song from Steely Dan's The Royal Scam. Its lyrics, written in first person, follow in typically abstruse fashion the story of a young boy who would avoid society by entering a cave and admiring cave paintings on its walls. This article needs additional references or sources. ... Originally released in May 1976, The Royal Scam was an album by rock group Steely Dan. ... Human relationships within an ethnically diverse society. ... Cave or rock paintings are paintings painted on cave or rock walls and ceilings, usually dating to prehistoric times. ...
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Altamira (Spanish for 'high view') is a cave in Spain famous for its cave paintings.
The cave was excavated by de Sautuola and then by Herminio Alcade del RÃo in 1902-04, the German Hugo Obermaier in 1924-25 and finally by JoaquÃn González Echegaray in 1981.
Altamira was closed to the public in 1977 as the paintings were being damaged by visitors' damp breath and only limited access is now possible.
AltamiraCave is located in a karst system witch, in geological terms, is coming to the end of its life.
This natural process of degradation is aggravated by the structure of the cave, formed by horizontally bedded limestone strata, increasing the danger of breakdown and the collapse of large blocks.
Because of this risk of a large-scale collpase, between 1924 and 1950, thick walls were built inside the cave in order to support the roof and avoid the total loss of the cave.