Cave paintings include the kind of “parietal art” that is found on the cave walls and ceiling. There are almost five kinds of cave paintings in the world: figurative, abstract, finger or hand-mark paintings, engraving, and relief sculpture. Monochromatic cave art is a portrait completed with one black color, while polychromatic cave art is a portrait with multiple colors. Now we don’t have any idea when this cave painting first started. One theory links it to the evolution of Stone Age art. Here are the top 10 oldest cave paintings in the world.
10: Magura Cave
It is one of the biggest and oldest cave paintings in the world. It is in the northwest of Bulgaria. Its walls were decorated in the style of prehistoric cave paintings about 10000-8000 years ago. The average temperature of the cave is 12 ° C. There are almost 700 portrait paintings. They painted different geometrical signs and showed hunters, dancers, and as well of different animals’ pictures.
9: Altamira Cave
Altamira Cave is in the Northern part of Spain. Modesto Cubillas discovered it in 1868. It is almost 3300 ft long. It was rediscovered in the 19th century; it is a unique cave where ancient cave art was found. Scientific society doubts the genuineness of the cave paintings because of their quality. Many people didn’t think that this type of masterpiece could be drawn by ancient individuals. The handprint images of charcoal and ochre, and pictures of horses inside the cave are well-known best in all over the world.
8: Cueva de las Manos
“Cueva de las Manos” is a cave located in the south of Argentina. It is listed as one of the top 10 oldest cave paintings in the world. Almost 9000-13000 years before this work of art was done. There are numerous depictions of hunting and animal scenes. The majority of hand paintings are present here. In 1999, it became a UNESCO World Heritage property.
7: Bhimbetka
It is located in Central India. This cave contains almost 600 rock ceilings decorated with the oldest cave paintings in the world. Those people who lived in the cave showed life and time with multiple colors like red, white, green, and yellow in cave paintings. These paintings are almost 10,000 years old.
6: Laas Gaal
Lass Gall is in Somalia and was discovered by the French archaeological team. Their paintings are almost 5000-11000 years old. It is a rock shelter and contains the ancient rock art of Africa. In this cave, the people depicted their art with multiple animals like giraffes, dogs, and humans. It seems like a vivid rock painting.
Read More: Top 10 Oldest Temples in the World
5: Lascaux Paintings
This cave is located in France. Marcel Ravidat discovered it. It is known as one of the most complex caves. Its walls and ceiling are covered with almost 600 parietal art paintings. These paintings show large animals and contemporary fauna that correlate with the fossil evidence of the Upper Paleolithic era. These paintings are almost 17000 years old. Many paintings were made with candles. The most popular painting is the Great Hall of the Bulls, which represents horses, deer, and bulls.
4: Tadrart Acacus
This cave is found in the mountain range of the Sahara Desert in Libya. This area is famous for its rock paintings from almost 1200 BC. These paintings reveal the environment of the Sahara Desert. According to the demonstration of paintings, approximately 9000 years ago the surroundings of the cave had greenery and forests, with a herd of huge animals like giraffes, elephants, and ostriches.
3: Kakadu Rock Paintings
Credit: tripbucket.com
Its position is in the northern area of Australia. Almost 5000 years ago, Kakadu rock paintings were discovered. These paintings are almost 20000 years old, while most of the paintings are 1500 years old. It’s the most famous example of “X-ray art” in the world. Even the cave natives not only painted the X-rays but also the bones and internal organs of animals.
2: Serra da Capivara
The Serra da Capivara National Park is in the north of Brazil. It is a hub of various rock shelters that are painted with cave art. It is one of the top 10 oldest cave art sites in the world. In this cave, there are paintings of different pictures of religious customs, hunters, trees, and animals. According to scientists, these paintings are almost 25000 years old. There is some complex rock art that dominates the animals and supernatural creatures. Frequently, a large number of mammals are depicted in groups, and they are shown in a running position as they escape from hunters.
1: Chauvet Cave
The Chauvet Cave is situated in the south of France. It contains one of the oldest cave paintings in the world. These paintings are almost 32000 years old. Jean-Marie Chauvet and his team discovered it in 1994. This cave art includes paintings of ibex, mammoths, horses, bears, lions, and other animals.
