A high-precision chronological model for the decorated Upper Paleolithic cave of Chauvet-Pont d’Arc, Ardèche, France

A high-precision chronological model for the Chauvet-Pont d'Arc Cave reveals that its rock art and human activities date back to approximately 36,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest known decorated caves in Europe. This finding challenges previous assumptions about the timing of early human artistic expression. The study compiled over 250 radiocarbon dates from rock art, human activities, and bone remains, providing a detailed calendar-year timeline for both human and cave bear occupations during the Paleolithic period. By integrating multiple dating techniques and statistical modeling, researchers reconstructed the sequence of events that occurred in the cave, offering unprecedented insights into early human behavior and cultural practices.

Quiles, A., Valladas, H., Bocherens, H., Delqué-Količ, E., Kaltnecker, E., van der Plicht, J., Delannoy, J.-J., Feruglio, V., Fritz, C., Monney, J., Philippe, M., Tosello, G., Clottes, J., & Geneste, J.-M. (2016). A high-precision chronological model for the decorated Upper Paleolithic cave of Chauvet-Pont d’Arc, Ardèche, France. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(17), 4670–4675. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1523158113