Near the French town of Montesquieu-Avantès, in the Midi-Pyrénées region, there is an underground system of caves, some of which are connected, and which present engravings and cave paintings from the Magdalenian period , dated around 17,000-10,000 BC
In one of them, that of Tuc d'Audoubert, a unique set within Paleolithic art is preserved, two bison sculpted in clay . The Tuc d’Audoubert cave was discovered in 1912 by the three teenage sons of the Count of Bégouën, who two years later would also find the adjoining Trois Frères grotto (named after them, three brothers ).
Both caves are not communicated, being that of Trois Frères the one that presents a richer set of parietal art consisting of engravings and paintings. They were examined by the famous archaeologist and historian Henri Breuil, who published several studies on them.
Tuc d'Audoubert It is not so rich but it has become famous precisely because of the discovery of two bison sculpted in clay , of a truly amazing natural beauty, which make them a unique set within Paleolithic art, and are among the largest and most stylized prehistoric sculptures who have survived.
The cave has galleries on three levels, the lowest being crossed by the waters of the Volp River. The highest and farthest from the entrance, about 900 meters, is precisely the Sala de los Bisontes , in which there are also sketches of two other bison, in the form of carvings on the ground, and human footprints.
The two clay bison were modeled, according to historians, using some kind of spatula, and the marks of the sculptor's fingers are still visible in various parts such as the jaws. One is male and the other is female, and they are 63 and 61 centimeters wide and about 46 centimeters high. They also have cracks, probably caused by the drying of the clay immediately after being sculpted.
The scene represents the prelude to the mating of both animals, and has been related to shamanic rituals or ceremonies that could have taken place inside the cave, a theory reinforced by the discovery of numerous footprints of children > .
Its magnificent state of conservation is due to the absence of filtered water in the gallery, and to the fact that access was always certainly complicated.