DISTINGUISHED LECTURES
FILM SCREENING
Tickets $18, Members $12
Cave of Forgotten Dreams Tuesday, February 18 6:30 p.m. Tickets $18, Members $12
“The Cosquer Cave: Painted Cave Beneath the Sea” Jean Clottes, Ph.D. Archaeologist Friday, January 24 6:30 p.m. In 1991 a scuba diver discovered paintings and engravings in a cave under the sea near Marseilles, France, dating back 25,000 years ago. The entrance to the cave is now 37 meters below sea level due to the rise of the sea after the end of the last ice age. In all the submerged chambers, the walls are corroded and nothing is left.
“Insights in Texas Cave Art” Carolyn Boyd, Ph.D. SHUMLA Tuesday, February 25 6:30 p.m. The Lower Pecos Canyonlands of southwest Texas and northern Mexico encompass some of the most complex and compositionally intricate prehistoric rock art in the world, from a period dating back 4,000 years. Dr. Carolyn Boyd, executive director of SHUMLA, will explain how interdisciplinary approaches have gone beyond interpreting the meaning of this art, contributing to the understanding of the early cultural history of Texas and the Mesoamerican philosophical universe, as well as human adaptive strategies.
The accidental discovery of Lascaux Cave by four teenagers in September 12, 1940, during troubled times, forever changed the perception of modern man about our prehistoric ancestors. This discovery, immediately considered as a major event, offered the world an unexplored cave, rich in beautiful imagery. The international scientific community and the general public flocked to see it, which rapidly destabilized its fragile natural environment. From crisis to solutions, Lascaux has become a laboratory for the conservation of decorated caves. The story of its preservation will greatly improve our knowledge about these complex environments.
RICE CONTINUING STUDIES COURSES
CO-SPONSORED BY HMNS Rock Art: Windows to Our Human Ancestors Tuesdays, February 18 - March 25 This course features sessions by anthropologists and art historians, including Muriel Mauriac, curator of the Lascaux Cave in Dordogne, France. Registration and more information at www.gscs.rice.edu or (713) 348-4803. HMNS Members receive a discount for this course.
DAY EXCURSION ! LD OUT
SO Texas Cave Art Saturday, February 8 8 a.m. Tickets $345, Members $265
This lecture will be presented by Dr. Muriel Mauriac, Curator of the Lascaux Cave in Dordogne and Curator General of Heritage, France. This lecture is sponsored by The Leakey Foundation and Rice University’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies.
BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOUR Tuesday, January 28, 6 p.m. Tickets $30, Members $20
Photo by Jean Clottes
7
www.hmns.org/lascaux
However, the upper chambers are preserved. Leading authority on cave art, Jean Clottes, and his team of researchers and deep sea divers registered 177 animal images—many of which have never been seen before in ancient art, such as penguins, seals, fish and jellyfish, as well as over 200 geometric signs, 65 hand stencils and a curious image of a dead man. The ground is strewn with charcoal from torches or fires lit to make the charcoal with which to draw. This lecture is cosponsored by the French Consulate General of Houston.
“The Lascaux Cave” Muriel Mauriac, Ph.D. Lascaux Cave Tuesday, March 4 6:30 p.m.
In 1994, scientists discovered a cave in the south of France perfectly preserved for over 30,000 years containing early human paintings. Take a glimpse inside the Chauvet Cave in this spectacular 3D documentary by Werner Herzog featuring Dr. Jean Clottes. Since this cave is not open to the public, the film offers the only way to view this marvelous site. Introduction to the film will be provided by archaeologist Dr. Gail Larsen Peterkin.
H M N S S C E N E S F R O M T H E S T O N E A G E : T H E C AV E PA I N T I N G S O F L A S C A U X
CAVE PAINTINGS OF LASCAUX EVENTS