Prehistoric Cave Drawings ‘Made by Children’

Woolly mammoths show up in the Geo Quiz. Archaeologists have long been studying the paintings and drawings on the walls of a famous cave complex in France. The stone age art dates back to the Paleolithic Age. Many of the drawings represent woolly mammoths. In fact the place is nicknamed the “Cave of a Hundred Mammoths.”

Lately, researchers have been focusing on some finger drawings. They think children as young as three, four or five did some of the artwork. So, part of the cave complex may have served as a kind of prehistoric nursery where kids were encouraged to develop their creative skills in cave art — 13,000 years ago.

So, can you name the cave complex in western France where kids drew on the walls?

Answer: the Rouffignac Cave.

Anchor Marco Werman talks with Jessica Cooney at the University of Cambridge where a conference on the archaeology of childhood is taking place this weekend.