The Lacaux caves could hardly be called discovered, stumbled upon is a better description. As a group of teenagers searched the caves for their dog, they came upon what is now the most famous group of cave paintings in the world.

From that point in 1940 until 1963 thousands of visitors came to view the caves each year. Through the combined forces of vandalism as well as incidental damage from the breath of all those visitors the paintings were beginning to suffer.

When the caves were closed to the public in 1963 they became known as Lascaux I. Lascaux II is a complete recreation of the caves and their paintings so that visitors can still enjoy the impressive works of early man without damaging the originals.

The paintings consist of scenes and animals including the auroch an early predecessor of the ox. It is believe that aurochs were worshipped.