Altamira
Spanish painted cave
Altamira is a cave in northern Spain famous for its prehistoric paintings, discovered in 1879.
The ceiling displays vivid images of bison, horses, and other animals painted roughly 15,000 years ago.
The discovery revolutionized understanding of prehistoric human artistic capability.
By extension, Altamira sometimes stands for any ancient artistic achievement: the Altamira of early cinema.
Large wild ox
- polychromeHaving multiple colors
- ochreIron-rich earth pigment
- pigmentColor-imparting material
- charcoalBurned wood residue
handprints · paintings · engravings · ceiling · Lascaux · parietal · hematite · manganese
Subsistence through wild resources
- PleistoceneAncient glacial geological period
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
- glaciationIce sheet spreading process
- foragersThose seeking wild food
Cultural arm of UN
- museumPublic exhibit space
- replicaFaithful scaled reproduction
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- tourismLeisure travel sector
preservation · Spain · landmark · protected
Carbonate sedimentary rock
- karstEroded soluble rock terrain
- stalactiteHanging cave mineral deposit
- stalagmiteUpward-growing cave deposit
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
grotto · subterranean · cavern · geology · formation · preservation · humidity · collapse
Act of unearthing
- carbon-datingIsotope-based age measurement
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- lithicsArchaeological stone implements
dig · site · prehistory · anthropology · dating · conservation · paleoanthropology · discovery
bison
Large wild ox
- polychromeHaving multiple colors
- ochreIron-rich earth pigment
- pigmentColor-imparting material
charcoal · handprints · paintings · engravings · ceiling · Lascaux · parietal · hematite · manganese · stencils
hunter-gatherers
Subsistence through wild resources
- PleistoceneAncient glacial geological period
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
- glaciationIce sheet spreading process
foragers · prehistoric · Cro-Magnon · mammoth
UNESCO
Cultural arm of UN
- museumPublic exhibit space
- replicaFaithful scaled reproduction
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
tourism · preservation · Spain · landmark · protected
limestone
Carbonate sedimentary rock
- karstEroded soluble rock terrain
- stalactiteHanging cave mineral deposit
- stalagmiteUpward-growing cave deposit
chamber · grotto · subterranean · cavern · geology · formation · preservation · humidity · collapse · ceiling
excavation
Act of unearthing
- carbon-datingIsotope-based age measurement
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
lithics · dig · site · prehistory · anthropology · dating · conservation · paleoanthropology · discovery