What They Left Behind
The stories and songs of prehistoric people are lost. Their art and artifacts are all that remain of their culture.
The painted caves of Ice Age Europe are the world’s most famous examples of prehistoric art. What does this art reveal about the people who made it? Why did they paint those images on cave walls? What do the images mean?
Jean Clottes is one of the world’s preeminent prehistorians and a leading expert on prehistoric art. He has devoted his life to asking these big questions, and his insights have challenged popular assumptions about prehistoric art and how it evolved.
In this episode, producer Neil Sandell visits Clottes at his home in the foothills of the Pyrénées in France, and they journey deep into a painted cave called Niaux to see the famous Salon Noir.
“What They Left Behind” was the winner of the 2018 Prix Marulić International Audio Festival in the documentary category.
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This season of Origin Stories is made possible by support from Dixon Long.
The Leakey Foundation thanks the following people for their generous support of this episode:
Jean and Ray Auel, Sharal Camisa, Dennis Fenwick and Martha Lewis, Victoria and Barry Fong, Jeanne Newman, Sharon Metzler-Dow, and Lisa and Bill Wirthlin.
Bonus Content
A trailer from the 2011 documentary, Cave of Forgotten Dreams by Werner Herzog.
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV5KIqdDDZk
The art of Niaux Cave.
Photos
Resources
Books:
- What is Paleolithic Art? Cave Paintings and the Dawn of Human Creativity by Jean Clottes
- Cave Art by Jean Clottes
- The Land of Painted Caves by Jean Auel
Links:
- Chauvet Cave Website
- Virtual Visit to Chauvet Cave
- Chauvet Cave: The Most Accurate Timeline Yet of Who Used the Cave and When
- About the Chauvet Cave Replica
- About Jean Clottes
- The Exploration of Niaux Cave
Credits
Sound Engineer Katie McMurran
Intern Yuka Oiwa
Theme Music Henry Nagle
Additional Music