It’s hard to imagine, but thousands of years ago man had the same inexplicable desire to create and express his view of the world that artists do today. The oldest known murals and carvings are found in the Lascaux caves in France and date back to 17,000 years ago. The artwork was nearly destroyed due to an invasion of algae and bacteria carried into the caves by the thousands of visitors who flocked to the site soon after its discovery in 1940. Prehistoric art is a fascinating glimpse into the lives of our early ancestors, who painted surprisingly detailed scenes of daily life including life-sized versions of the animals they hunted for survival.

The fifth graders learned about Lascaux and viewed some of the rare and inaccessible images inside the cave. We then worked on a project replicating the painting (pictographs) and carving (petroglyphs) techniques. The students etched images telling a story of their imagined ancestors including where they lived, what they ate, and how they dressed. We learned about simple ways to express forms and shapes. Students then carved a rubber stamp and printed a repeating symbol around the outside of their “rock wall.” Chalk was used to dirty up the paper and give the impression of age. Check out their finished images below!