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35,000 years ago, in Europe,
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tribes of hunter-gatherers
invented a fascinating artform.
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An art populated with animals,
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emerging from the depths of the Earth.
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Some 18,000 years later in the heart
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of the Périgord region of France,
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they created their most
fabulous masterpiece,
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Lascaux, the Sistine Chapel
of the prehistoric era.
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Prehistorians have offered all sorts
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of explanations for this wall art,
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and theories abound concerning its purpose.
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Hunting magic, totemism, shamanism.
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Yet none has revealed a deeper meaning
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of the works left behind
by our ancient ancestors.
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But Chantal Jègues-Wolkiewiez,
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an independent French researcher,
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has come up with an
exciting new hypothesis.
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She believes the Lascaux cave paintings
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represent a map of the sky.
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The sky as seen by the world's
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first artists, 17,000 years ago.
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Her claims, advanced after
many astronomical calculations,
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represent a radical departure
from previous interpretations.
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But will the researcher be
able to convince others?
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At times, I did have doubts,
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so I would start all over again.
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And each time, I came up
with the same answers.
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I can't backtrack now, I simply can't.
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Whenever someone says
"That can't be right."
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I reply "Yes it is, it works."
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Chantal Jègues-Wolkiewiez first set out on
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the trail of our ancient
ancestors 15 years ago.
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At the time, she only knew Lascaux by name.
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She was interested in a
totally different site,
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located in the heart of
the southern French Alps,
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the Vallée des Merveilles,
the Valley of the Marvels.
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Together with her husband,
Jacques, and Michael,
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a guide specialized in
the valley's history,
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she is revisiting the place that initially
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aroused her interest in prehistoric man.
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Nestled high in the mountains
at over 2,000 meters,
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below majestic Mount Bego,
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the Vallée des Merveilles
conceals a unique treasure.
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35,000 engravings carved by Bronze Age man,
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between 2,500 BC and 1,700 BC.
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Daggers by the thousands,
axes and halberds,
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motifs reminiscent of bull's horns,
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wheels and anthropomorphic figures.
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These rock carvings contain
a mysterious message.
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Some people believe we
are dealing with something
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that is found throughout
the Mediterranean basin.
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Symbolic drawings produced by a
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cult devoted to bovine gods.
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With or without sacrificial rites.
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While others believe it is
a form of proto-writing.
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That's the magic of the site,
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it remains open to interpretation.
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Chantal believes the sky
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holds the key to this mystery.
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For ten years, she worked on
this site for her PHD thesis.
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Her idea being that during the Bronze Age,
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the valley was a vast
astronomic observatory.
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It was on the rock known as "The Altar"
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that she made her first discoveries.
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Here, prehistoric man
carved dozens of daggers.
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At first glance, there is no apparent
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logic to their orientation.
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On the morning of the autumn equinox,
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in the spring too, but in spring there's
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too much snow, you can't see anything.
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The sun rises over there,
where the daggers are pointing.
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To penetrate the meaning
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of the 115 carved daggers,
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Chantal applied the
methods of archeoastronomy.
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She used a clinometer to
measure the incline of the rock,
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and a hand-bearing compass
to determine the orientation.
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In this manner, she proved that
the majority of the daggers
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were orientated to the point of the horizon
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where the sun rises on the
day of the autumn equinox.
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Chantal also proved that
in the middle of the night,
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at the same time of the year,
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the daggers were aligned with the moon.
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Basically, everything is
pointing in the same direction.
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It would appear the ancient engravers
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recorded astronomical coordinates.
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But why?
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Another observation would
provide part of the answer.
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Beneath this huge boulder,
lying upon the stone slab,
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the sun and the moon light upon
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a small cavity at the same time of year.
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You see this spot of light here?
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Yes.
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Here on this rock.
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This occurs because it's the equinox
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and the sunlight passes under the boulder.
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What was the point of observing all this?
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Actually, it's very simple.
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We have the union of the sun and the moon.
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So from this, you can see
exactly where you are in time,
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and reset the clock, so to speak.
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When this phenomenon occurred,
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the rock carvers knew
winter was drawing in,
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and the site would soon
be covered with snow.
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It was time for them to
return to the valley.
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The stone altar was there for a sort of
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lunar-solar calendar.
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As Chantal continued her research,
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she became convinced that carvings
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were the work of seasoned astronomers
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who recorded the passage of time in stone.
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She pursued her investigation with
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these mysterious serpentine figures.
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The archaeoastronomer's interpretation
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is somewhat unexpected.
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This is a classic figure, which is familiar
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to any astronomer interested
in the path of the moon.
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You have zig-zags like this, rising moon,
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descending moon, rising
moon, descending moon.
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Here we have one, two,
three, four, five, six,
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one, two, three, four, five, six.
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This means you have 12 lunar months.
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We have 12 cycles, 12
lunar months in the year.
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This isn't surprising.
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If any observer were to draw the moon's
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trajectory during its 28 day cycle,
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and throughout an entire year,
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he would obtain roughly the same drawing.
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When she left the Vallée des Merveilles,
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Chantal knew she was only at
the start of a long story.
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One that ultimately lead
early man to observe the sky.
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She wanted to write the following chapters,
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pursue avenues unexplored by prehistorians,
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and construct bold hypotheses.
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The archaeoastronomer needed to understand
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what had happened further back in time.
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And so she turned to
our Stone Age ancestors.
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Those who decorated Lascaux's walls.
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The cold has come to the clan's territory.
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The game has disappeared.
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Provisions are low.
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They have decided to set out again.
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To travel further than on previous days.
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They know which plants are nourishing,
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those which stave off hunger.
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They knew where to find rocks to make fire.
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They repeat the gestures made by
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their ancestors since the dawn of time.
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They know how to hunt in
groups to track animals,
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to see them without
being seen, to lay traps.
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They have learned how to smoke meat
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to preserve it for many days, many moons,
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until the burning circle of light
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rises high in the sky once more.
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When Chantal Jègues-Wolkiewiez
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advanced her theory on
the Vallée des Merveilles,
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she was greeted with sarcasm and derision.
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This intrusion into the realm of prehistory
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by an atypical researcher
was not looked on favorably.
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For years, archaeology and astronomy
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had been mutually exclusive disciplines.
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But one prehistorian
decided to change all that.
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Jean-Michel Geneste,
the curator of Lascaux.
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He invited Chantal to visit the cave
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and apply her methods there.
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She jumped at this chance to analyze
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the world's most famous cave paintings.
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Her research at Lascaux
began one June evening,
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on the 21st, the first day of summer.
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Chantal wanted to verify for herself
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what she already suspected
from studying maps of the cave.
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She would discover
something very astonishing.
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In 1999, I discovered that
the sun shone into Lascaux
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on the evening of the summer
solstice, and only then.
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I thought that this astronomical event
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might've been what made the
inside of the cave sacred.
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And maybe this was why our ancestors
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had decorated the walls and
considered the site sacred.
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According to her calculations,
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the rays of the setting
summer sun 17,000 years ago
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shone through the narrow shaft
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leading to the first Lascaux's galleries.
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So casting light upon the walls
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and illuminating the paintings
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that were shrouded in
darkness the rest of the year.
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Until 1999, cave art had been thought of
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as an art of darkness,
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but it suddenly became an
art of shadow and light.
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Chantal's hypothesis allows us to imagine
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the life of Stone Age man in
a totally different light.
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One of them has observed the sky
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for days on end, interpreting its messages.
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At the edge of the great forest,
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he recognized the signal
known to his ancestors,
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the star which warms the
Earth and makes trees grow.
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Tomorrow, he will guide his
clan towards the sanctuary.
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He has chosen this cave
to capture its rays,
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to honor it once again.
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Everyone holds their breath.
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Is it a sign for them?
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Is the star telling them that its
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upcoming disappearance is only temporary?
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That it will be back, like every year,
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after the winds have
swept across the valley?
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That they need not fear
the forthcoming night?
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Did the disappearance of the sun
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00:14:06,764 --> 00:14:09,886
below the Earth give rise to such rituals?
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Even more than with her thesis
on the Vallée des Merveilles,
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Chantal's claims provoked angry responses
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from the scientific community.
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Absurd, ridiculous, unorthodox.
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Her critics were ruthless.
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00:14:28,886 --> 00:14:31,810
And yet, some prehistorians were intrigued.
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00:14:31,830 --> 00:14:33,902
Such as Jean Clottes, one of the world's
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00:14:33,922 --> 00:14:36,767
foremost experts on paleolithic art.
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00:14:38,017 --> 00:14:40,899
In shamanism, or rather, shamanisms,
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00:14:40,919 --> 00:14:43,672
because there are all sorts
of shamanistic practices,
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00:14:43,692 --> 00:14:45,142
The supernatural world can be
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00:14:45,162 --> 00:14:47,852
situated in very different places.
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00:14:47,872 --> 00:14:51,223
It can be at the top of a
mountain, at the bottom of a cave,
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00:14:51,243 --> 00:14:54,062
Inside rocks, and of course, in the sky.
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00:14:54,082 --> 00:14:55,809
The important thing is that people
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00:14:55,829 --> 00:14:58,178
believe they have access to it.
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00:14:58,198 --> 00:14:59,755
Jean Clottes does not interpret
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00:14:59,775 --> 00:15:03,575
prehistoric paintings in
the same way as Chantal,
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00:15:03,595 --> 00:15:06,723
for over ten years now he
has advanced a hypothesis
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00:15:06,743 --> 00:15:09,141
that is every bit as
bold and controversial.
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00:15:10,122 --> 00:15:13,387
He believes the paintings,
like these here in Cougnac,
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00:15:13,407 --> 00:15:16,695
were produced for shamanistic purposes.
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They were the work of shamans
whose responsibility was
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00:15:19,765 --> 00:15:22,284
to heal the clan, capture game,
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00:15:22,304 --> 00:15:25,332
and win the good graces of animal spirits.
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00:15:26,784 --> 00:15:29,217
This hypothesis also created a sensation
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00:15:29,237 --> 00:15:31,519
when it was first introduced.
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00:15:34,109 --> 00:15:37,324
Here, for example, they
used the natural contours
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00:15:37,344 --> 00:15:39,539
of the rock for their drawings.
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From the very beginnings
of prehistoric art,
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you find this idea that the rock is alive.
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00:15:48,479 --> 00:15:51,574
There is an interaction
between the world of spirits,
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00:15:51,594 --> 00:15:55,050
the supernatural world, where we are now,
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00:15:55,070 --> 00:15:56,990
and the world of the living.
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00:16:00,190 --> 00:16:02,943
Inside the rock were animals and spirits
242
00:16:02,963 --> 00:16:04,518
that were ready to come out.
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00:16:04,538 --> 00:16:06,739
They were half materialized.
244
00:16:08,442 --> 00:16:10,598
The painting served as a medium for man
245
00:16:10,618 --> 00:16:12,838
to enter into contact
with these supernatural
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00:16:12,858 --> 00:16:15,464
forces and harness their power.
247
00:16:23,602 --> 00:16:24,962
In the forest he has
248
00:16:24,982 --> 00:16:27,844
listened to the signals of nature.
249
00:16:27,864 --> 00:16:30,699
He has seen the bison,
250
00:16:30,719 --> 00:16:33,370
the spirit of the ibex,
251
00:16:33,390 --> 00:16:35,519
a bull has spoken to him.
252
00:16:36,739 --> 00:16:39,934
Now he must join them
in the world of shadows.
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00:16:42,050 --> 00:16:46,506
Combine fire and pigments,
lure the animals,
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00:16:47,419 --> 00:16:52,304
capture the curve of their
backs, pierce the darkness.
255
00:16:54,679 --> 00:16:57,640
Uncover the mane of a galloping horse.
256
00:16:58,604 --> 00:17:02,292
Make out the blood coursing
through its veins of rock.
257
00:17:03,468 --> 00:17:07,240
Summon its spirit and charm its soul.
258
00:17:08,716 --> 00:17:13,574
Carve, sculpt and paint. Again and again.
259
00:17:14,455 --> 00:17:17,443
Make them come alive
by the light of a torch
260
00:17:17,463 --> 00:17:20,152
and harness their power.
261
00:17:20,172 --> 00:17:23,367
Ask them for help, make them allies.
262
00:17:30,731 --> 00:17:32,312
Could shamanistic practices
263
00:17:32,332 --> 00:17:35,171
and solar cults coexisted?
264
00:17:35,191 --> 00:17:38,734
Or even been part of the
same view of the world?
265
00:17:38,754 --> 00:17:41,050
Chantal is convinced of it.
266
00:17:46,006 --> 00:17:49,378
Jean Clottes and Jean-Michel Geneste
267
00:17:49,398 --> 00:17:50,998
both found this interesting,
268
00:17:51,018 --> 00:17:53,695
but they thought it might be a coincidence.
269
00:17:54,794 --> 00:17:57,847
What I needed to do was
study all the other caves
270
00:17:57,867 --> 00:18:00,662
and see whether, statistically speaking,
271
00:18:00,682 --> 00:18:04,788
I would find similar orientations
and astronomical events.
272
00:18:06,934 --> 00:18:09,688
So I set out with my husband.
273
00:18:09,708 --> 00:18:12,845
We explored Burgundy, the Dordogne.
274
00:18:14,084 --> 00:18:16,726
Chantal wanted to prove that the sunlight
275
00:18:16,746 --> 00:18:19,136
played the same role in other painted caves
276
00:18:19,156 --> 00:18:21,070
as it did in Lascaux.
277
00:18:23,161 --> 00:18:25,830
It was a veritable challenge
for a lone scientist
278
00:18:25,850 --> 00:18:27,950
with no means of research or funding
279
00:18:27,970 --> 00:18:30,646
and only her husband for support.
280
00:18:32,634 --> 00:18:35,638
Her journey would last over seven years.
281
00:18:38,246 --> 00:18:40,805
She visited the caves of Combarelles,
282
00:18:40,825 --> 00:18:44,005
Font de Gaume, and Bernifal.
283
00:18:44,025 --> 00:18:47,116
Her first results all pointed
in the same direction,
284
00:18:47,136 --> 00:18:50,588
these caves were all aligned
with the sunrise or sunset
285
00:18:50,608 --> 00:18:54,403
on key days of the year,
solstices or equinoxes.
286
00:18:58,889 --> 00:19:02,580
She took measurements for
months, then years on end.
287
00:19:04,029 --> 00:19:07,445
In the heart of the Perigord
Noir region, at Commarque,
288
00:19:07,465 --> 00:19:11,172
a 12th century castle rises
above troglodyte dwellings
289
00:19:11,192 --> 00:19:14,653
and a painted cave dated
from 14,000 years ago.
290
00:19:15,549 --> 00:19:18,132
As at Lascaux, the setting sun shines into
291
00:19:18,152 --> 00:19:20,863
the cave on the day of the summer solstice,
292
00:19:20,883 --> 00:19:22,772
lighting up its walls.
293
00:19:25,885 --> 00:19:28,148
Did the paleolithic artists use their caves
294
00:19:28,168 --> 00:19:30,354
according to their orientation?
295
00:19:31,816 --> 00:19:33,938
Did they discover the astronomical laws
296
00:19:33,958 --> 00:19:36,260
governing the path of the sun?
297
00:19:40,703 --> 00:19:42,950
If you closely observe
the points of the rising
298
00:19:42,970 --> 00:19:47,254
and setting sun for an entire
year from the same spot,
299
00:19:47,274 --> 00:19:50,890
you will see that it moves
inexorably day after day.
300
00:19:56,462 --> 00:20:00,050
On the first day of winter,
the sun rises in the southeast
301
00:20:00,070 --> 00:20:02,866
and remains low in the sky.
302
00:20:02,886 --> 00:20:05,904
Night falls faster and
is longer than the day.
303
00:20:08,069 --> 00:20:10,885
On the day of the spring
and autumn equinoxes,
304
00:20:10,905 --> 00:20:12,593
the sun reaches the half-way point
305
00:20:12,613 --> 00:20:15,907
of its annual trajectory
and rises in the east,
306
00:20:17,562 --> 00:20:19,419
days as long as night.
307
00:20:19,439 --> 00:20:22,918
Lastly, on June the 21st,
the first day of summer,
308
00:20:22,938 --> 00:20:25,882
the sun rises in the northeast.
309
00:20:25,902 --> 00:20:28,516
This is the longest day of the year.
310
00:20:31,890 --> 00:20:34,023
For an observer equipped with a compass,
311
00:20:34,043 --> 00:20:37,369
there are six significant
points on the horizon.
312
00:20:42,686 --> 00:20:44,652
Could paleolithic man have determined
313
00:20:44,672 --> 00:20:47,679
these points without measuring instruments?
314
00:20:50,132 --> 00:20:51,968
Absolutely.
315
00:20:51,988 --> 00:20:53,972
They could have used natural landmarks
316
00:20:53,992 --> 00:20:56,916
and observed the sun sliding
along the horizon as the
317
00:20:56,936 --> 00:21:01,453
months went by, so keeping
track of the changing seasons.
318
00:21:08,179 --> 00:21:09,269
To be sure the caves had been
319
00:21:09,289 --> 00:21:11,693
deliberately chosen for their orientation
320
00:21:11,713 --> 00:21:13,621
and not simply at random,
321
00:21:13,641 --> 00:21:17,418
Chantal decided to expand
the scope of her research.
322
00:21:17,438 --> 00:21:19,102
She started investigating caves
323
00:21:19,122 --> 00:21:21,351
without carvings or paintings.
324
00:21:22,559 --> 00:21:24,628
On these sites, her compass indicated
325
00:21:24,648 --> 00:21:27,133
no particular orientation.
326
00:21:31,219 --> 00:21:34,633
All together, Chantal would
travel 20,000 kilometers
327
00:21:34,653 --> 00:21:36,511
and take measurements in 130
328
00:21:36,531 --> 00:21:39,484
decorated caves and rock shelters.
329
00:21:40,988 --> 00:21:43,080
It was a long, painstaking job,
330
00:21:43,100 --> 00:21:45,257
but nonetheless indispensable if she was
331
00:21:45,277 --> 00:21:47,981
to convince the world's prehistorians.
332
00:21:55,969 --> 00:21:59,572
Enthusiastic about her work,
Count Hubert de Commarque
333
00:21:59,592 --> 00:22:03,305
opened the doors of his
Bourgonie estate to her.
334
00:22:03,325 --> 00:22:05,977
Here she would set up her field laboratory.
335
00:22:07,165 --> 00:22:10,755
The time had come to draw the
conclusions from her journey.
336
00:22:15,164 --> 00:22:18,647
Over here, you see, the cave is there.
337
00:22:18,667 --> 00:22:20,659
The cave is there indeed.
338
00:22:20,679 --> 00:22:23,063
Bernifal is here,
339
00:22:23,083 --> 00:22:24,999
the Mouthe is here,
340
00:22:25,019 --> 00:22:27,123
Rouffignac's over there.
341
00:22:28,110 --> 00:22:31,432
The Abri du Poisson, Laugerie Haute...
342
00:22:31,452 --> 00:22:33,371
Look at this.
343
00:22:34,911 --> 00:22:38,066
Yes, all three face toward the winter sun.
344
00:22:38,086 --> 00:22:41,137
All of the well-orientated
caves are decorated,
345
00:22:41,157 --> 00:22:42,894
whereas the others are not.
346
00:22:42,914 --> 00:22:45,099
So it wasn't for geological reasons?
347
00:22:45,119 --> 00:22:48,391
I don't think so, I
think we need to continue.
348
00:22:50,058 --> 00:22:53,102
All of the measurements converged.
349
00:22:53,122 --> 00:22:55,982
Of 130 caves, only four were not
350
00:22:56,002 --> 00:22:58,669
aligned with the sun at key times.
351
00:23:00,965 --> 00:23:04,215
For Chantal, there was no longer any doubt,
352
00:23:04,235 --> 00:23:07,459
paleolithic man intentionally
chose these sites
353
00:23:07,479 --> 00:23:10,227
in order to carry out his artwork.
354
00:23:17,465 --> 00:23:20,581
Chantal met up with Jean
Clottes in Dordogne,
355
00:23:20,601 --> 00:23:23,005
at the Abri du Poisson rock shelter.
356
00:23:24,377 --> 00:23:27,087
She wanted to discuss a
new possibility with him.
357
00:23:29,277 --> 00:23:31,418
She wondered whether
there was a relationship
358
00:23:31,438 --> 00:23:34,212
between the way in which
the animals are depicted
359
00:23:34,232 --> 00:23:37,277
and the time of year when
the sun lit up the shelter.
360
00:23:41,711 --> 00:23:44,873
This salmon is represented
with a curved lower jaw,
361
00:23:45,883 --> 00:23:48,970
a characteristic of a
kelt, or a post-spawn fish,
362
00:23:49,979 --> 00:23:52,596
and spawning only occurs in the winter.
363
00:23:57,204 --> 00:24:00,156
We have this salmon on the ceiling,
364
00:24:00,176 --> 00:24:03,987
it's pointing in the direction
of the rising winter sun.
365
00:24:06,939 --> 00:24:09,581
Only in winter would the
sun have been low enough,
366
00:24:09,601 --> 00:24:14,236
it rose over there, to
cast light on the ceiling,
367
00:24:14,256 --> 00:24:16,882
and make this salmon stand out.
368
00:24:18,949 --> 00:24:22,726
And the salmon is depicted as a kelt.
369
00:24:24,915 --> 00:24:27,077
There is definitely a seasonal aspect,
370
00:24:27,097 --> 00:24:29,156
and the fact that this salmon is a kelt,
371
00:24:29,176 --> 00:24:31,084
indicates which season.
372
00:24:33,318 --> 00:24:36,946
But is the Abri du Poisson a unique case?
373
00:24:36,966 --> 00:24:38,610
One of a kind?
374
00:24:38,630 --> 00:24:42,300
A detailed drawing of a
naturalist before his time?
375
00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:44,306
Is the fact the salmon is orientated
376
00:24:44,326 --> 00:24:47,483
to the rising winter
sun a mere coincidence?
377
00:24:49,596 --> 00:24:51,987
Chantal knew she had to find further proof
378
00:24:52,007 --> 00:24:54,374
to support her hypothesis.
379
00:24:58,812 --> 00:25:02,034
A scene in the Lascaux
Cave confirmed her hunch.
380
00:25:03,293 --> 00:25:05,362
Located deep inside the cave,
381
00:25:05,382 --> 00:25:09,095
this panel depicts two
bison standing back-to-back.
382
00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:15,984
The tails of the two bison are crossed.
383
00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:22,236
According to experts the
fur color of the bison
384
00:25:22,256 --> 00:25:25,329
on the left is a sign that it is molting.
385
00:25:25,349 --> 00:25:26,583
While the erection of the bison
386
00:25:26,603 --> 00:25:28,913
on the right indicates it is rutting.
387
00:25:33,772 --> 00:25:36,354
Standing directly opposite the two animals,
388
00:25:36,374 --> 00:25:39,236
Chantal measures the
orientation of their eyes.
389
00:25:40,552 --> 00:25:44,507
The eye of the bison on the
right indicates 124 degrees.
390
00:25:45,416 --> 00:25:47,126
And the eye of the bison on the left
391
00:25:47,146 --> 00:25:49,755
is orientated at 56 degrees.
392
00:25:51,004 --> 00:25:54,896
As for the two tails,
they cross at 90 degrees.
393
00:25:59,206 --> 00:26:03,265
If there were a transparent wall here,
394
00:26:03,285 --> 00:26:06,294
behind the eye of the bison on the right,
395
00:26:06,314 --> 00:26:08,998
you would have the rising winter sun.
396
00:26:11,369 --> 00:26:14,891
Behind the eye of the bison on the left,
397
00:26:14,911 --> 00:26:18,689
you would have the rising summer sun.
398
00:26:18,709 --> 00:26:21,291
And at the point where the two tails cross,
399
00:26:21,311 --> 00:26:25,515
you would have the rising
spring and autumn suns.
400
00:26:25,535 --> 00:26:27,984
The image corresponds to reality.
401
00:26:29,385 --> 00:26:32,933
Bisons rut in autumn and molt in spring.
402
00:26:35,092 --> 00:26:37,264
So it's a small victory.
403
00:26:42,205 --> 00:26:45,483
Early man knows about the winds.
404
00:26:45,503 --> 00:26:48,320
He knows about changing shadows.
405
00:26:48,340 --> 00:26:50,816
He knows that when winter comes,
406
00:26:50,836 --> 00:26:53,823
the animals will leave the river's banks.
407
00:26:56,873 --> 00:27:00,157
The light indicates the
direction to follow.
408
00:27:00,177 --> 00:27:04,297
The trail of the reindeer,
the bison and the ibex.
409
00:27:06,108 --> 00:27:08,114
He crosses the mountains,
410
00:27:08,134 --> 00:27:10,461
tracks game in all weather,
411
00:27:10,481 --> 00:27:12,468
season after season.
412
00:27:17,064 --> 00:27:19,143
When life withers,
413
00:27:19,163 --> 00:27:22,684
he silently follows the
course of the river.
414
00:27:22,704 --> 00:27:24,967
Spots the shadows of fish,
415
00:27:24,987 --> 00:27:26,844
makes use of the reflections
416
00:27:26,864 --> 00:27:29,147
on the surface to surprise them,
417
00:27:29,167 --> 00:27:32,263
spearing their sides with his trident.
418
00:27:32,283 --> 00:27:36,380
Winter is back, and
with it the bitter cold.
419
00:27:42,992 --> 00:27:46,429
Season after season the clan draws strength
420
00:27:46,449 --> 00:27:48,850
from the dance of the sun.
421
00:27:50,479 --> 00:27:52,356
From the skill of the flint knappers
422
00:27:52,376 --> 00:27:55,100
who prepare weapons for future hunts.
423
00:27:57,199 --> 00:28:00,952
From the dexterity of the
hunters who build up reserves
424
00:28:00,972 --> 00:28:04,416
to hold the clan over until summer returns.
425
00:28:08,545 --> 00:28:10,820
Paleolithic man was very similar,
426
00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:13,294
and yet very different to us.
427
00:28:13,314 --> 00:28:15,151
Remember, we are westerners who
428
00:28:15,171 --> 00:28:18,027
live in the complex world
of the 21st century.
429
00:28:20,951 --> 00:28:23,273
Ours is an industrial society.
430
00:28:24,364 --> 00:28:26,666
We are removed from nature.
431
00:28:26,686 --> 00:28:30,290
Our thinking is dominated
by practical concerns,
432
00:28:30,310 --> 00:28:32,553
not at all by spiritual ones.
433
00:28:34,704 --> 00:28:37,652
You have to look at how these
hunter-gatherers thought.
434
00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:42,959
It's evident that they observed
435
00:28:42,979 --> 00:28:46,121
the changing seasons, the stars.
436
00:28:47,547 --> 00:28:49,447
It isn't at all impossible that
437
00:28:49,467 --> 00:28:52,156
they translated this into art.
438
00:28:52,176 --> 00:28:54,590
That is why Chantal's work interests me.
439
00:28:55,952 --> 00:28:57,939
I believe she is on to something.
440
00:28:58,939 --> 00:29:01,097
The results she has shown me,
441
00:29:01,117 --> 00:29:03,562
for example the light entering the caves,
442
00:29:03,582 --> 00:29:05,889
the fact caves were chosen in relation
443
00:29:05,909 --> 00:29:08,947
to their exposure to the sun, or the moon.
444
00:29:11,773 --> 00:29:12,905
Given that she is dealing with
445
00:29:12,925 --> 00:29:15,208
a rather large number of caves,
446
00:29:15,228 --> 00:29:17,172
I have the feeling she has put her finger
447
00:29:17,192 --> 00:29:19,976
on something extremely interesting.
448
00:29:25,848 --> 00:29:28,880
Chantal believed she could go even further.
449
00:29:28,900 --> 00:29:32,018
She was convinced our ancestors
did not content themselves
450
00:29:32,038 --> 00:29:34,917
with learning about the cycles of the sun.
451
00:29:34,937 --> 00:29:37,955
They were also interested
in the phases of the moon.
452
00:29:40,824 --> 00:29:44,581
At that point, a carving of a
Venus holding a crescent moon
453
00:29:44,601 --> 00:29:46,137
constituted the only clue that
454
00:29:46,157 --> 00:29:49,324
paleolithic man was
aware of the moon's path.
455
00:29:52,281 --> 00:29:54,670
But did he actually observe it?
456
00:29:59,895 --> 00:30:01,902
The paleoastronomer embarked on this
457
00:30:01,922 --> 00:30:04,790
new investigation with
as much energy as ever.
458
00:30:07,150 --> 00:30:09,602
She had heard of a small, carved bone,
459
00:30:09,622 --> 00:30:12,045
previously studied by
an American researcher.
460
00:30:13,613 --> 00:30:16,601
This 35,000 year old
artifact was discovered
461
00:30:16,621 --> 00:30:18,413
by one of France's first amatuer
462
00:30:18,433 --> 00:30:21,614
archaeologists, Rene Castanet,
463
00:30:21,634 --> 00:30:24,651
who set up a small museum
to house his finds.
464
00:30:26,543 --> 00:30:29,792
Today, his son is the
custodian of the collection.
465
00:30:33,728 --> 00:30:36,618
What is the meaning of
these mysterious markings?
466
00:30:38,207 --> 00:30:41,024
In the 1970s the American anthropologist,
467
00:30:41,044 --> 00:30:43,989
Alexander Marschack, studied
this artifact while he
468
00:30:44,009 --> 00:30:47,605
was researching the origins
of astronomy for NASA.
469
00:30:50,367 --> 00:30:52,468
His interpretation was surprising.
470
00:30:53,951 --> 00:30:58,004
Now the bone from the Abri
Blanchard is a prime example.
471
00:30:58,024 --> 00:30:59,562
On one piece of bone,
472
00:30:59,582 --> 00:31:02,784
in the area about the size of a wristwatch,
473
00:31:02,804 --> 00:31:06,282
he made 69 tiny marks.
474
00:31:06,302 --> 00:31:10,448
This hunter was doing
something nobody had expected,
475
00:31:10,468 --> 00:31:12,830
and my analysis indicated that
476
00:31:12,850 --> 00:31:16,456
this seemed to be a lunar calendar.
477
00:31:16,476 --> 00:31:19,743
What he was doing was
notating the passage of time,
478
00:31:19,763 --> 00:31:21,984
notating the phases of the moon
479
00:31:22,004 --> 00:31:24,800
as the moon waxed and waned.
480
00:31:24,820 --> 00:31:29,166
In other words, this piece
of bone was an abstract
481
00:31:29,186 --> 00:31:32,846
of phenomena that was occurring
out in the real world.
482
00:31:36,021 --> 00:31:37,348
The American researcher's
483
00:31:37,368 --> 00:31:39,468
findings were cooly received,
484
00:31:39,488 --> 00:31:41,884
before being forgotten about for years.
485
00:31:43,647 --> 00:31:46,569
Until Chantal became interested in them.
486
00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:52,829
He discovered the
meaning of the marks, but,
487
00:31:52,849 --> 00:31:56,156
sadly for him and happily for me,
488
00:31:57,052 --> 00:32:00,592
because I was delighted to
discover something he hadn't.
489
00:32:03,073 --> 00:32:06,098
He didn't realize that the serpentine form
490
00:32:06,118 --> 00:32:09,999
is the result of observations
being made from the same spot
491
00:32:10,798 --> 00:32:14,131
throughout the entire observation period.
492
00:32:17,786 --> 00:32:19,877
To confirm Marschack's hypothesis,
493
00:32:19,897 --> 00:32:22,950
the paleoastronomer
visited the Abri Blanchard
494
00:32:22,970 --> 00:32:24,995
where the bone was discovered.
495
00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:30,353
Sitting at the foot of the cliff,
496
00:32:30,373 --> 00:32:32,593
like the paleolithic sculptor,
497
00:32:32,613 --> 00:32:34,001
she recorded the measurements
498
00:32:34,021 --> 00:32:36,667
necessary for her calculations,
499
00:32:36,687 --> 00:32:38,630
the orientation of the Abri,
500
00:32:38,650 --> 00:32:41,101
and the height of the cliff opposite.
501
00:32:43,802 --> 00:32:46,732
The researcher then drew
a chart that showed,
502
00:32:46,752 --> 00:32:49,762
day-by-day, the height
of the moon in the sky
503
00:32:49,782 --> 00:32:52,526
and the point on the horizon where it set.
504
00:32:54,820 --> 00:32:57,691
The results exceeded her expectations.
505
00:32:59,018 --> 00:33:01,367
One by one, the coordinates she obtained
506
00:33:01,387 --> 00:33:04,144
with her astronomical calculations matched
507
00:33:04,164 --> 00:33:08,635
the tiny cupules, or cup
marks, carved on the bone.
508
00:33:10,816 --> 00:33:12,907
True, it was not a perfect match,
509
00:33:12,927 --> 00:33:15,420
and some lunar phases were missing,
510
00:33:17,131 --> 00:33:18,517
but the general outline of the
511
00:33:18,537 --> 00:33:20,945
two figures is strikingly similar.
512
00:33:23,999 --> 00:33:26,283
This bone was probably the first
513
00:33:26,303 --> 00:33:28,860
lunar calendar in the history of man.
514
00:33:29,737 --> 00:33:32,977
And its sculptor an
astronomer before his time.
515
00:33:40,543 --> 00:33:42,678
The observation of the moon and the sun
516
00:33:42,698 --> 00:33:45,335
was of great importance to paleolithic man.
517
00:33:50,369 --> 00:33:52,120
Knowing their precise movements would have
518
00:33:52,140 --> 00:33:54,964
helped him plan for hunting and gathering
519
00:33:54,984 --> 00:33:57,622
and prepare for seasonal migrations.
520
00:34:06,093 --> 00:34:09,009
What if his knowledge
was even more incredible?
521
00:34:10,829 --> 00:34:14,896
What if he knew how to distinguish
certain stars in the sky?
522
00:34:22,534 --> 00:34:25,904
I believe that man's
first house was the sky.
523
00:34:28,294 --> 00:34:31,278
He lived on Earth and looked up at the sky.
524
00:34:32,946 --> 00:34:35,101
Today, we know that the sky has
525
00:34:35,121 --> 00:34:37,977
an astrophysical and physical significance.
526
00:34:39,025 --> 00:34:42,649
But at that time it was seen
as a spherical starry vault.
527
00:34:45,255 --> 00:34:48,243
Man looked up at the stars
and tried to regroup them
528
00:34:48,263 --> 00:34:51,865
in order to memorize
them, to talk about them.
529
00:34:53,766 --> 00:34:57,710
He gave them names, the names
of animals in most cases.
530
00:34:59,611 --> 00:35:02,236
Constellations varied
from one place to another,
531
00:35:02,256 --> 00:35:06,140
from one civilization to
another, but basically,
532
00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:08,444
daily life was governed by the stars
533
00:35:08,464 --> 00:35:11,448
and by the height of the
sun above the horizon.
534
00:35:17,170 --> 00:35:19,553
At first sight, the night sky is made up of
535
00:35:19,573 --> 00:35:22,449
thousands of stars defying all logic.
536
00:35:24,786 --> 00:35:26,126
But if you look closer,
537
00:35:26,146 --> 00:35:28,621
some stars are more visible than others,
538
00:35:28,641 --> 00:35:30,456
as they are brighter.
539
00:35:33,271 --> 00:35:36,173
These stars were recorded
very early on in history.
540
00:35:37,367 --> 00:35:40,910
The Babylonians grouped
them into 12 constellations.
541
00:35:40,930 --> 00:35:43,254
The constellations of the zodiac.
542
00:35:48,886 --> 00:35:50,957
If you observe the sky long enough,
543
00:35:50,977 --> 00:35:54,434
the stars appear to move
around an imaginary axis
544
00:35:54,454 --> 00:35:56,651
running through the north pole.
545
00:36:00,620 --> 00:36:03,202
Did paleolithic man observe this phenomenon
546
00:36:03,222 --> 00:36:07,213
and isolate groups of stars
in this vast, starry vault?
547
00:36:07,233 --> 00:36:08,813
Mentally projecting the image
548
00:36:08,833 --> 00:36:10,839
of familiar animals on to them?
549
00:36:19,697 --> 00:36:22,792
Back in Lascaux, Chantal
realized that the cave
550
00:36:22,812 --> 00:36:25,505
was far more than a gallery of paintings.
551
00:36:27,868 --> 00:36:30,065
The very shape of this dome reminds her
552
00:36:30,085 --> 00:36:32,438
of the belt of the zodiac in the sky.
553
00:36:33,606 --> 00:36:36,125
One figure, a large bull to her right,
554
00:36:36,145 --> 00:36:37,622
drew her attention.
555
00:36:39,110 --> 00:36:42,210
She recognized the Pleiades star cluster
556
00:36:42,230 --> 00:36:44,227
and the Aldebaran star.
557
00:36:47,429 --> 00:36:49,885
She decided to measure the
astronomical coordinates
558
00:36:49,905 --> 00:36:52,866
of various points on the cave's animals.
559
00:36:54,881 --> 00:36:58,531
Eyes, tips of tusks, lower flanks,
560
00:36:58,551 --> 00:37:01,381
forefeet and hind feet.
561
00:37:03,659 --> 00:37:06,666
Next, she turned to her astronomy software
562
00:37:06,686 --> 00:37:09,285
to see whether her hunch was correct.
563
00:37:16,299 --> 00:37:18,164
I realized that the sun passed
564
00:37:18,184 --> 00:37:20,651
through all of the constellations.
565
00:37:21,896 --> 00:37:25,669
You have the unicorn, which
would represent Capricorn,
566
00:37:29,910 --> 00:37:33,238
and horses in the place of Sagittarius.
567
00:37:36,568 --> 00:37:38,930
If the hall of the bulls were in glass,
568
00:37:39,986 --> 00:37:42,947
you would see the
constellations behind them.
569
00:37:56,734 --> 00:38:00,148
Early man, long regarded as brutish,
570
00:38:00,168 --> 00:38:03,772
becomes the first observer
of celestial phenomena.
571
00:38:07,101 --> 00:38:09,469
The time spent on such studies
572
00:38:09,489 --> 00:38:11,845
would have affected his view of life,
573
00:38:11,865 --> 00:38:14,996
material survival and his origins.
574
00:38:18,948 --> 00:38:21,274
One man probably tried to unravel
575
00:38:21,294 --> 00:38:24,384
the message the stars wanted to teach him.
576
00:38:28,521 --> 00:38:32,601
He measured, noted, compared,
577
00:38:32,621 --> 00:38:34,396
and tried to discern the shapes
578
00:38:34,416 --> 00:38:37,802
of familiar animals in the cosmic disorder.
579
00:38:39,620 --> 00:38:40,872
And just maybe
580
00:38:40,892 --> 00:38:44,341
he recorded his observations in caves.
581
00:39:03,633 --> 00:39:05,170
Do the animals of Lascaux
582
00:39:05,190 --> 00:39:07,567
belong to the sky of that period?
583
00:39:09,180 --> 00:39:11,739
To verify this hypothesis
Chantal had to first
584
00:39:11,759 --> 00:39:14,733
recreate the summertime paleolithic sky.
585
00:39:16,069 --> 00:39:18,780
The computer system at the
Montpellier planetarium
586
00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:21,297
would help her with this calculation.
587
00:39:21,317 --> 00:39:23,907
Her journey through time could begin.
588
00:39:25,317 --> 00:39:27,697
I need the latitude of this spot.
589
00:39:27,717 --> 00:39:30,929
I'll use this latitude
here, it's roughly the same.
590
00:39:32,171 --> 00:39:34,748
Yes, 45 degrees exactly.
591
00:39:35,819 --> 00:39:38,658
I'll put the sun in now,
to see what time it rises,
592
00:39:38,678 --> 00:39:39,852
then we can...
593
00:39:39,872 --> 00:39:41,978
It should be around 7:30 AM.
594
00:39:43,264 --> 00:39:46,481
Let's enter all that and see what it says.
595
00:39:47,895 --> 00:39:50,071
They're moving away now,
Sirius is moving away,
596
00:39:50,091 --> 00:39:52,688
and the other one too, Procyon.
597
00:39:55,724 --> 00:39:57,447
[Voiceover] 9,000 BC,
598
00:39:57,467 --> 00:39:59,132
13,000 BC,
599
00:39:59,152 --> 00:40:01,029
17,000 BC.
600
00:40:02,245 --> 00:40:05,448
Within hours, the astronomy
software recreates
601
00:40:05,468 --> 00:40:07,672
the sky as Lascaux's painters would have
602
00:40:07,692 --> 00:40:10,630
seen it on the first night of summer.
603
00:40:21,200 --> 00:40:24,268
Armed with this data
Chantal then superposed
604
00:40:24,288 --> 00:40:27,489
the constellations of
the prehistoric sky onto
605
00:40:27,509 --> 00:40:30,708
the prominent points in
the hall of the bulls.
606
00:40:37,109 --> 00:40:41,547
Before her very eyes, the
superposition, although imperfect,
607
00:40:41,567 --> 00:40:44,020
showed unsettling associations.
608
00:40:45,172 --> 00:40:48,927
Capricorn, Scorpio, Leo, Taurus.
609
00:40:49,781 --> 00:40:51,617
These constellations seem to merge
610
00:40:51,637 --> 00:40:53,931
with the figures of the cave.
611
00:41:20,916 --> 00:41:22,966
I was stunned.
612
00:41:22,986 --> 00:41:25,186
When I first visited the cave,
613
00:41:25,206 --> 00:41:27,254
I thought paleolithic man had little
614
00:41:27,274 --> 00:41:29,402
knowledge of astronomy.
615
00:41:32,800 --> 00:41:34,593
I knew he was capable of detecting
616
00:41:34,613 --> 00:41:37,280
the sun that shown into the cave.
617
00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:40,474
I'd seen that in the maps.
618
00:41:42,655 --> 00:41:46,069
But I never imagined he
was capable of producing
619
00:41:46,089 --> 00:41:50,118
an accurate representation
of the constellations,
620
00:41:52,774 --> 00:41:55,541
because that demands immense patience
621
00:41:55,561 --> 00:41:58,031
and years of observation.
622
00:42:19,326 --> 00:42:22,600
Lascaux, the world's first sky map?
623
00:42:23,465 --> 00:42:26,218
The idea certainly fires the imagination.
624
00:42:26,238 --> 00:42:29,255
But it has provoked
criticism in some quarters.
625
00:42:33,997 --> 00:42:36,174
Chantal first presented her results
626
00:42:36,194 --> 00:42:40,335
to Gerard Jasniewicz, an
astronomer and astrophysicist
627
00:42:40,355 --> 00:42:42,529
at the University of Montpellier.
628
00:42:44,145 --> 00:42:46,729
This researcher had been
on the examining panel
629
00:42:46,749 --> 00:42:50,547
when she defended her thesis
on the Vallée des Merveilles.
630
00:42:50,567 --> 00:42:53,366
But this time, he had mixed feelings.
631
00:42:56,850 --> 00:43:00,126
Certainly, there are
elements which enable me to say
632
00:43:00,146 --> 00:43:04,422
there are points, or marks, in Lascaux Cave
633
00:43:04,442 --> 00:43:07,723
that could correspond
to elements in the sky.
634
00:43:10,960 --> 00:43:14,759
But, in my opinion, there
is not sufficient evidence
635
00:43:14,779 --> 00:43:17,214
to allow us to say with certainty
636
00:43:17,234 --> 00:43:20,583
that Lascaux is a
planetarium that coincides
637
00:43:20,603 --> 00:43:23,805
exactly with what we see in the sky.
638
00:43:23,825 --> 00:43:26,599
I feel there is something missing,
639
00:43:26,619 --> 00:43:30,293
and I would hesitate to make
a general interpretation.
640
00:43:32,286 --> 00:43:35,370
Obviously it isn't a
planetarium like this one.
641
00:43:37,617 --> 00:43:39,858
Chantal had difficulty convincing others
642
00:43:39,878 --> 00:43:42,461
of the validity of her theory.
643
00:43:42,481 --> 00:43:44,871
To compound matters, it
stands at the crossroads
644
00:43:44,891 --> 00:43:48,135
of two disciplines,
astronomy and prehistory,
645
00:43:48,155 --> 00:43:51,398
which tend to turn their
backs on each other.
646
00:43:51,418 --> 00:43:53,831
The hypothesis was too bold.
647
00:43:53,851 --> 00:43:55,664
There was a mutual lack of comprehension
648
00:43:55,684 --> 00:43:58,247
between scientists of both disciplines.
649
00:43:58,267 --> 00:44:00,635
Skepticism won out.
650
00:44:02,545 --> 00:44:05,892
For someone like me, who
knows nothing about the sky,
651
00:44:05,912 --> 00:44:08,022
and the infinite number of stars,
652
00:44:09,005 --> 00:44:10,691
many of which are so bright
653
00:44:10,711 --> 00:44:12,630
they can be seen with the naked eye.
654
00:44:14,402 --> 00:44:18,153
I have the feeling, that if
you took the image of an ibex,
655
00:44:18,173 --> 00:44:22,763
or a horse, or a bison, and
you placed it over a sky map,
656
00:44:23,659 --> 00:44:25,153
you would always manage to get it
657
00:44:25,173 --> 00:44:27,690
to coincide with a certain number of stars.
658
00:44:29,652 --> 00:44:31,766
Isn't it all rather subjective?
659
00:44:35,225 --> 00:44:36,757
It's important to understand
660
00:44:36,777 --> 00:44:39,510
that the constellations are fixed in space,
661
00:44:40,682 --> 00:44:42,687
and they never change, ever.
662
00:44:43,776 --> 00:44:46,657
They never change position
in relation to one another.
663
00:44:47,572 --> 00:44:50,304
What's interesting here is
that these constellations
664
00:44:50,324 --> 00:44:53,056
are arranged in a certain order.
665
00:44:53,076 --> 00:44:57,023
They form a sequence and
this sequence corresponds
666
00:44:57,043 --> 00:45:01,076
to the forms and sequence
of the images on the walls.
667
00:45:05,023 --> 00:45:07,369
For the paleoastronomer the superposition
668
00:45:07,389 --> 00:45:10,121
she revealed is not that
of a few lone animals
669
00:45:10,141 --> 00:45:12,661
with stars chosen at random,
670
00:45:15,155 --> 00:45:16,991
it shows that the succession of animals
671
00:45:17,011 --> 00:45:19,892
painted on the cave's
walls actually corresponds
672
00:45:19,912 --> 00:45:22,688
to the sequence of
constellations in the sky.
673
00:45:29,606 --> 00:45:33,168
Despite her arguments, her
fellow scientists were puzzled.
674
00:45:34,640 --> 00:45:37,307
They voiced a number of objections,
675
00:45:37,327 --> 00:45:40,808
and wondered, for
example, how men and women
676
00:45:40,828 --> 00:45:43,024
could have possibly inscribed correctly
677
00:45:43,044 --> 00:45:45,947
orientated figures on the cave's walls
678
00:45:45,967 --> 00:45:48,911
without the aid of measuring instruments.
679
00:45:54,350 --> 00:45:58,258
I realized that the
only possible explanation
680
00:45:58,278 --> 00:46:01,708
was that they used simple
methods and gestures
681
00:46:01,728 --> 00:46:05,172
resulting from observations
made with the naked eye.
682
00:46:06,721 --> 00:46:09,410
If you do basic astronomy,
you learn for example,
683
00:46:09,430 --> 00:46:11,508
to place your arm like this,
684
00:46:12,636 --> 00:46:14,708
then your hand.
685
00:46:16,156 --> 00:46:19,634
And everyone, whether
it's a child or an adult,
686
00:46:19,654 --> 00:46:21,597
comes up with the same measurements.
687
00:46:21,617 --> 00:46:23,623
That is the length of your arm,
688
00:46:23,643 --> 00:46:25,906
is proportional to your hand span.
689
00:46:27,142 --> 00:46:30,023
That's to say, thumb two degrees,
690
00:46:30,043 --> 00:46:34,333
closed fingers 10 degrees,
and spread fingers 15 degrees.
691
00:46:37,146 --> 00:46:39,311
Chantal believed some artifacts
692
00:46:39,331 --> 00:46:41,766
discovered at the same time as Lascaux,
693
00:46:41,786 --> 00:46:46,158
such as sticks with holes in
them, ropes and oil lamps,
694
00:46:46,178 --> 00:46:49,757
could have enabled early man
to make these alignments.
695
00:47:00,504 --> 00:47:01,915
Was early man capable
696
00:47:01,935 --> 00:47:04,045
of making such measurements?
697
00:47:05,539 --> 00:47:09,165
Did he possess the tools
necessary for these alignments?
698
00:47:14,093 --> 00:47:16,675
How many gestures, how many attempts,
699
00:47:16,695 --> 00:47:19,938
did it take to obtain
the correct measurements?
700
00:47:21,539 --> 00:47:23,075
How many nights were spent
701
00:47:23,095 --> 00:47:26,445
establishing the cosmic directions?
702
00:47:30,775 --> 00:47:33,294
How did he reproduce the exact positions
703
00:47:33,314 --> 00:47:37,410
of the constellations in
the depths of the cave?
704
00:47:39,521 --> 00:47:43,682
What calculations did he
use to chart the stars?
705
00:47:43,702 --> 00:47:47,563
Their angle, distance and height?
706
00:47:49,533 --> 00:47:52,450
How many points were
transferred onto the wall
707
00:47:52,470 --> 00:47:56,373
before the animal forms
became stellar figures?
708
00:48:11,039 --> 00:48:13,718
This demonstration is disturbing,
709
00:48:13,738 --> 00:48:16,365
it supposes that prehistoric artists
710
00:48:16,385 --> 00:48:19,629
were able to make real astronomy tools.
711
00:48:22,101 --> 00:48:24,923
To back up this argument
Chantal had no choice
712
00:48:24,943 --> 00:48:27,713
but to interpret the
artifacts found in the cave
713
00:48:27,733 --> 00:48:29,316
in a different light.
714
00:48:30,272 --> 00:48:33,195
For example, the assegai spears.
715
00:48:33,215 --> 00:48:36,503
One of them bears incisions
in the form of a star.
716
00:48:36,523 --> 00:48:38,337
Could this have been a directional tool,
717
00:48:38,357 --> 00:48:40,345
a sort of primitive compass?
718
00:48:41,442 --> 00:48:43,391
This is the base of the assegai,
719
00:48:43,411 --> 00:48:45,864
the shaft would have been here.
720
00:48:45,884 --> 00:48:48,510
Jean-Michel
Geneste, the curator of Lascaux,
721
00:48:48,530 --> 00:48:51,373
and Chantal studied the object together.
722
00:48:53,075 --> 00:48:54,291
I'm inclined to say that
723
00:48:54,311 --> 00:48:57,491
its function is, above all, decorative.
724
00:48:57,511 --> 00:49:00,033
Though there could be some
meaning we are missing.
725
00:49:00,904 --> 00:49:02,850
Did it have another significance?
726
00:49:04,061 --> 00:49:07,269
It's a portable object,
it's a hunting weapon,
727
00:49:07,289 --> 00:49:09,484
and one that was obviously used.
728
00:49:10,779 --> 00:49:12,047
I'm sticking with the idea that
729
00:49:12,067 --> 00:49:14,460
these elements are highly symbolic.
730
00:49:14,480 --> 00:49:18,094
They are extremely simple,
but at the same time,
731
00:49:18,114 --> 00:49:19,951
there are various forms.
732
00:49:20,793 --> 00:49:23,887
There is a sort of
systematic arrangement here.
733
00:49:23,907 --> 00:49:25,979
For me that's the link
734
00:49:25,999 --> 00:49:28,744
between wall art and mobiliary art.
735
00:49:31,838 --> 00:49:34,634
Chantal had to bow to the evidence.
736
00:49:34,654 --> 00:49:37,266
It is highly unlikely
that the men of Lascaux
737
00:49:37,286 --> 00:49:40,268
used the assegai as a primitive compass.
738
00:49:42,675 --> 00:49:44,939
She visited Lascaux one last time
739
00:49:44,959 --> 00:49:46,731
with Jean-Michel Geneste,
740
00:49:46,751 --> 00:49:49,054
before the caves were closed to scientists
741
00:49:49,074 --> 00:49:51,254
for conservation purposes.
742
00:49:55,070 --> 00:49:59,600
Opposite her, a human figure,
and a stick topped with a bird
743
00:49:59,620 --> 00:50:03,187
are facing a bison with
its entrails hanging out.
744
00:50:06,121 --> 00:50:08,110
What do these paintings mean?
745
00:50:08,937 --> 00:50:11,378
Do they have any relation to the stars?
746
00:50:12,492 --> 00:50:15,428
These questions will remain unanswered.
747
00:50:18,019 --> 00:50:19,662
With no access to the paintings,
748
00:50:19,682 --> 00:50:22,062
Chantal cannot advance her research.
749
00:50:23,353 --> 00:50:24,675
And without a research team to
750
00:50:24,695 --> 00:50:27,288
support her and verify her findings,
751
00:50:27,308 --> 00:50:28,665
it will be hard to bring her work
752
00:50:28,685 --> 00:50:30,201
on one of the world's most beautiful
753
00:50:30,221 --> 00:50:33,958
paleolithic caves to a
successful conclusion.
754
00:50:35,468 --> 00:50:37,342
Chantal's work challenges the whole
755
00:50:37,362 --> 00:50:40,528
body of knowledge and
learning with which we work.
756
00:50:43,186 --> 00:50:44,915
To discover that there was a
757
00:50:44,935 --> 00:50:47,802
highly developed body of knowledge,
758
00:50:47,822 --> 00:50:51,367
which was passed on from
generation to generation,
759
00:50:51,387 --> 00:50:55,271
and that these astronomic
observations were repeated,
760
00:50:55,291 --> 00:50:58,300
not for years on end,
but for several times,
761
00:50:58,320 --> 00:51:02,588
over periods of ten or twenty
years, and then recorded,
762
00:51:02,608 --> 00:51:04,849
radically transforms our knowledge
763
00:51:04,869 --> 00:51:07,023
and our conception of this world.
764
00:51:08,026 --> 00:51:10,479
And indeed, of how early
man actually saw it.
765
00:51:11,909 --> 00:51:14,470
As a result, the generally accepted ideas,
766
00:51:14,490 --> 00:51:16,888
the paradigms that enable us to imagine
767
00:51:16,908 --> 00:51:20,037
the prehistoric world all explode.
768
00:51:20,057 --> 00:51:23,807
In this sense, it's an absolute revolution.
769
00:51:25,070 --> 00:51:27,634
Can these events be validated?
770
00:51:27,654 --> 00:51:29,906
Can the hypotheses be tested?
771
00:51:30,703 --> 00:51:33,990
If this is the case, then we'll
be forced to consider that
772
00:51:34,010 --> 00:51:37,616
these societies possessed a
highly structured knowledge.
773
00:51:38,383 --> 00:51:40,453
And that's in complete
contradiction with what
774
00:51:40,473 --> 00:51:43,780
we currently know about
hunter-gatherer societies.
775
00:51:48,779 --> 00:51:51,319
As a result of Chantal Jègues-Wolkiewiez's
776
00:51:51,339 --> 00:51:54,410
research a new image has emerged.
777
00:51:55,270 --> 00:51:59,359
That of prehistoric societies
with sophisticated knowledge,
778
00:51:59,379 --> 00:52:00,896
which devoted a large part of their
779
00:52:00,916 --> 00:52:04,223
time and resources to observing the sky.
780
00:52:05,717 --> 00:52:09,024
The same sky we ourselves rarely admire,
781
00:52:09,044 --> 00:52:12,558
blinded as we are by the
bright lights of our cities.
782
00:52:22,250 --> 00:52:24,469
By studying the path of the stars,
783
00:52:24,489 --> 00:52:26,722
man learned to master time.
784
00:52:29,077 --> 00:52:32,149
He established the rhythm
of the natural cycles,
785
00:52:32,169 --> 00:52:35,404
took control of his destiny
in the natural world.
786
00:52:37,444 --> 00:52:40,327
This knowledge of the sky,
passed on from generation
787
00:52:40,347 --> 00:52:43,425
to generation, would have
been of capital importance.
788
00:52:46,789 --> 00:52:50,076
Did this knowledge form
the basis of their myths?
789
00:52:50,096 --> 00:52:51,447
Perhaps...
790
00:52:53,402 --> 00:52:55,174
Far more research is necessary
791
00:52:55,194 --> 00:52:58,038
to confirm the existence of such knowledge.
792
00:52:59,388 --> 00:53:01,531
But at the end of this exploration
793
00:53:01,551 --> 00:53:05,353
lies the understanding of an
entire chapter of our history.
794
00:53:06,756 --> 00:53:08,726
A history that has traveled to us
795
00:53:08,746 --> 00:53:10,690
down through the millennia,
796
00:53:10,710 --> 00:53:13,082
and which still fascinates us today.
63171
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