Around 20,000 years ago Neanderthals, our closest relatives in the family tree of man, went extinct. This left only us, Homo sapiens, as the dominant species on the planet. Our more complex brains (developed by thousands of years of eating fish) made us more adaptable to a changing environment as the last Ice Age subsided. It also lead to another huge development: culture.
Next week Grade 6 will begin examining the culture of early Homo sapiens including clothing, rituals, and art. And what discussion of long-ago art would be complete without Lascaux cave? Along with sites in Australia and southern Africa, Lascaux stands as the great triumph of cave art work.
Which brings me around to one of my favorite websites. Ever.
The official Lascaux site, operated by the French government. Click here to see it. If you are on an iPad, I regret to inform you that it won’t really work. But if you are on a laptop or desktop, get ready for one of the coolest digital tours out there. Enter the cave and take a 3D walk around this historical treasure.