In France as in Thailand, the mostancient pariental paintings often represent animals, in remembrance of thestrong ties between society and nature that surrounds it.
These paintings and carvings originatingfrom the cave of Lascaux, in the department of Dordogne located in the southwest of France, are thought to date back 18 000 years. This site was exceptionally nicknamed <> . Horses, oxes, bison, deers and ibexes largely dominate these works of art, followed by the presence of rather rare and dangerous beasts, such as bears, rhinoceros and the large felines.
15,000 years later, cave paintingsin Thailand show an evolution with the appareance of men represented on thewalls. The cave paintings of Thailand, on the western wall of Mount Khao Pla Ra, in the province of Uthai Thani, are approximately 3000 years old. These paintings use natural pigments, illustrating humans and animals such as cows,monkeys or dogs. In the cave of Tham Khao Chan Ngam, located in the south westof the city of Khorat, the people painted in red are said to have been made by an agricultural community that inhabited the region 3000 or 4000 years ago.
- Tourism Office of Lascaux-Dordogne, Vézère Valley (Information on the Lascaux caves)
- Thailand Tourism Directory (Information on the western cliff of Khao Pla Ra)
- Khorat Geopark Office (Information on the Tham Khao Chan Ngam cave)