The Lascaux cave is the most emblematic of Prehistoric sites and caves of the Vézère valley. Since 1979, it has been listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Owned by the State, it occupies a special place in the relationship our fellow citizens have with their heritage.
To oversee the conservation of this exceptional heritage, an international and independent Scientific Council was created in 2010 and chaired by Professor Yves Coppens from 2011 to 2017. This creation followed commitments made by France at the request of UNESCO and the international scientific community, who were worried about the threats that were weighing on the cave.
This Scientific Council provided advice and expertise on the definition of the research programs necessary for the conservation of the cave and the evaluation of their results. It was also asked to give an opinion on the measures to be taken in case of recurrence of risks of degradation, drawing on the expertise of specialists in archaeology, geology, climatology, microbiology and study of heritage materials.
The colloquium Lascaux la belle, 7 years of research and monitoring, organized in collaboration with the French National Commission for UNESCO, has the ambition to restore these seven years of work of the Scientific Council.
Its objective is to share as widely as possible the scientific advances relating to the conservation of ornate caves based on the experience gained at the Lascaux site. It will thus enable the global reinforcement of skills and knowledge for sites inscribed on the World Heritage List facing conservation problems.
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Registration is mandatory at the National Centre of Prehistory at: centre.national.de.prehistoire@culture.gouv.fr, you can find the conference program by following this link: Lascaux the beautiful
Access to the conference will be at 125 boulevard de Suffren 75007 Paris