Cave of Niaux
Grotte de Niaux | |
copy of a bison painting in the Salon Noir | |
| Location | Niaux, Occitania, France |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°49′15″N 01°35′37″E / 42.82083°N 1.59361°E |
| Type | Cave paintings |
| Part of | caves in the Tarascon river basin |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 17,000 years ago |
| Abandoned | c. 9000 BC |
| Cultures | Magdalenian |
| Associated with | paleo-humans |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | Emile Cartailhac |
The Cave of Niaux (French: Grotte de Niaux) is located in the Niaux commune, Ariège département in southwestern France as part of a wider geological system that includes the Sabart Cave and Lombrives Cave in the hill of Cap de la Lesse de Bialac.
The Niaux Cave's system is complex and has a combined length of more than 14 km (8.70 mi) of underground passages and chambers. An archaeological site with a documented history of paleo-human presence, Niaux contains numerous distinct areas and galleries of carefully drawn and vivid wall paintings, executed in a black-outlined style typical of the classic Magdalenian period, between 17,000 and 11,000 years ago.