Word: breuil
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...location of the cave is still kept secret to protect it from destructive sightseers. But one honored guest, the Abbe Henri Breuil, dean of French prehistorians, was invited to inspect the find. Although 79 years old, he crept through the cave's winding corridors and examined the animal drawings. He declared them "among the most beautiful specimens of prehistoric art yet discovered," estimated they were late paleolithic, probably between 15,000 and 20,000 years...
...Stone Age did not decorate their caves with animal drawings for pure love of art. The drawings had a purpose: they were the central images in religious rites. In the newly found cave there are no drawings of deer, and the Abbe Breuil thinks he knows why. His guess: "The occupants of the cave probably regarded deer as their mythical ancestors. They were forbidden to kill and eat them. So there was no reason to use any charm, such as cave paintings, to attract deer...