Submitted by Sean Williams on Mon, 08/24/2009 - 11:28
The prehistoric treasures of Spain's caves are renowned worldwide. But a recent report warns that caves in the country's Valencia region are in serious danger of being vandalised and looted. The millennia-old heritage is being disregarded in favour of more modern, tourist-friendly sites such as Baroque cathedrals and century-old buildings. They are being protected with fences and reconstruction projects, says José Aparicio, head of the archaeological service in Valencia, while the caves are left to fall apart. Sr Aparicio warns that the caves, which contain some of the world's best examples of cave painting and artefacts from daily life in prehistoric Europe.
The Cave of Niaux is on the right bank of France's river Vicdessos. It is reknowned for its excellent prehistoric Magdalenien cave paintings.
Niaux has a number of chambers, among them the Salon Noir, arguably the most impressive. It has panels with outline drawings of bison and horses. The cave also has drawings etched into the floor, among them fish and a bison. The Black Chamber also features impressive
drawings of horses and bison.
The Parc de l'Art Préhistorique (Prehistoric Art Park) in nearby Tarascon has background information on the caves (including in English), and has replicas and photos of some of the art that appears in sections of the cave that are not open to the public.
