The Chauvet Cave paintings are dated to approximately which period?

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Multiple Choice

The Chauvet Cave paintings are dated to approximately which period?

This question tests knowing when Chauvet Cave art was created. The Chauvet paintings are among the earliest known cave artworks, dating to the early Upper Paleolithic, around 30,000 BCE. Dating methods, such as uranium-thorium dating of calcite deposits that form on or over the pigments, place the art in that very early period. This makes Chauvet older than other famous sites like Lascaux, which dates to roughly 17,000 BCE. So the estimate around 30,000 BCE best fits the evidence. The other dates happen much later in prehistory and don’t align with the dating results and the archaeological context of the Chauvet works.

This question tests knowing when Chauvet Cave art was created. The Chauvet paintings are among the earliest known cave artworks, dating to the early Upper Paleolithic, around 30,000 BCE. Dating methods, such as uranium-thorium dating of calcite deposits that form on or over the pigments, place the art in that very early period. This makes Chauvet older than other famous sites like Lascaux, which dates to roughly 17,000 BCE. So the estimate around 30,000 BCE best fits the evidence. The other dates happen much later in prehistory and don’t align with the dating results and the archaeological context of the Chauvet works.

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