An alternative chronology for the art of Chauvet cave

Pettitt, Paul; Bahn, Paul

doi:10.15184/aqy.2015.21

An alternative chronology for the art of Chauvet cave

Pettitt, Paul; Bahn, Paul

Authors

Professor Paul Pettitt paul.pettitt@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Paul Bahn

Abstract

It is now 20 years since the discovery of the Grotte Chauvet with its impressive cave art, but controversy continues over the antiquity of the images. Radiocarbon assays have been used to argue that the ‘black series’ charcoal drawings date to the Aurignacian period, more than 20 000 years earlier than traditional stylistic models would suggest. This paper questions the validity of the radiometric dating and cautions against reliance solely on the date of the charcoal. Instead, the authors propose an alternative chronology for the art of Chauvet based on stylistic comparanda, palaeontological remains and stratigraphic evidence.

Citation

Pettitt, P., & Bahn, P. (2015). An alternative chronology for the art of Chauvet cave. Antiquity, 89(345), 542-553. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2015.21

Journal Article Type	Article
Online Publication Date	Jun 5, 2015
Publication Date	Jun 5, 2015
Deposit Date	Jun 17, 2015
Publicly Available Date	Aug 8, 2017
Journal	Antiquity
Print ISSN	0003-598X
Electronic ISSN	1745-1744
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	89
Issue	345
Pages	542-553
DOI	https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2015.21

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Copyright Statement
This article has been published in a revised form in Antiquity https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2015.21. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. © Antiquity Publications Ltd, 2015.