Jean Clottes On Chauvet

Clifton

ANTIQUARIAN Club

The Clifton Antiquarian Club Winter Lecture

The Cave Paintings of Chauvet by Dr Jean Clottes

Chauvet Cave is as famous for the quality of its artwork as for its very early dates, between 30,000/32,000BP when most of the art was made. Some 430 animals are represented and the graphic quality of the ancient art is astounding. A multi-disciplinary team has been working not only on the art but also on the spectacular traces and remains left by humans and animals, trying to work out how the cave was utilised. We are delighted to have Dr Jean Clottes, one of the world’s leading authorities on prehistoric rock art, to explain more.

Saturday 16th January 2010 at 6.00pm at University of Bristol, Department of Archaeology & Anthropology, 43 Woodland Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1UU TICKETS £6 - Strictly in advance - book early to avoid disappointment (Entrance is free to members however a place must still be reserved) To book contact Peter Fenn at [email protected] or phone 07768 504005 For further details see website at www.cliftonantiquarian.co.uk

The eminent French prehistorian Jean Clottes has been involved with archaeology since 1959 when he first developed an interest into formal study. In a long and distinguished career he has the distinction of being honoured by his country on five occasions. From an original focus on Neolithic chambered monuments, a theme that carried through to his PhD thesis, he became engrossed with prehistoric cave art and has led a number of significant investigations in southern France; his most famous include Chauvet Cave and the underwater Cosquer Cave. He was appointed Inspector for Archaeology at the French Ministry of Culture in 1992 and became Scientific Advisor to the same Ministry the following year. He created a good deal of publicity from within the world of archaeology when he co-authored The Shamans of Prehistory: Trance and Magic in the Painted Caves with David Lewis-Williams. His principal scientific interests in prehistoric rock art concern recording, dating and preservation, analysis of the paint, as well as seeking a better anthropological and cultural perspective. Dr Clottes is Honorary President of the Sociétè Préhistorique Française and has published over 350 scientific papers, together with 23 books, his latest one being Cave Art published by Phaidon Press last year. Although now in semi-retirement, he continues to lecture around the world and is currently filming a documentary 'The Painted Cave' scheduled for release this year. Chauvet Cave, in the Ardèche region of southern France was discovered in 1994 by a group of spelaeologists, and Jean Clottes was called in to investigate. It was apparent that the cave was a momentous discovery, having been untouched for thousands of years, preserving not only the wonderful painted art, but also fossils of animals (some extinct) and a huge archaeological resource for new data on the Upper Palaeolithic of Europe. In 1994 the cave was closed, and since then, more people have been to the summit of Everest than have been inside Chauvet Cave. For more information see www.bradshawfoundation.com