In France as in Thailand, the most ancient pariental paintings often represent animals, in remembrance of the strong ties between society and nature that surrounds it.
These paintings and carvings originating from the cave of Lascaux, in the department of Dordogne located in the southwest of France, are thought to date back 18 000 years. This site was exceptionally nicknamed “Palace of Versailles” or the “Sistine Chapel” of prehistory. Horses, oxes, bison, deers and ibexes largely dominate these works of art, followed by the presence of rather rare and dangerous beasts, such as bears, rhinoceros and the large felines.
15,000 years later, cave paintings in Thailand show an evolution with the appearance of men represented on the walls. The cave paintings of Thailand, on the western wall of Mount Khao Pla Ra, in the province of Uthai Thani, are approximately 3000 years old. These paintings use natural pigments, illustrating humans and animals such as cows,monkeys or dogs. In the cave of Tham Khao Chan Ngam, located in the south west of the city of Khorat, the people painted in red are said to have been made by an agricultural community that inhabited the region 3000 or 4000 years ago.
Mina PRIEUR, 3eme A