Mapping the walls: High-resolution cartography applied to the analysis of prehistoric cave art in the Grotte du Mammouth (Domme, Dordogne, France)

The analysis of paintings and engravings on the walls of Upper Palaeolithic caves generally focuses on the images themselves, their technical or stylistic characteristics, graphical and spatial composition, and, to a lesser extent, radiometric dating. More recent studies of cave art have reinforced new interdisciplinary perspectives that address the archaeology, karstology and geomorphology of the site. This latter aspect helps place the repre-sentations in the long-term geo-morphological history of the cave itself, and thus sheds new light on its human occupation. At the Grotte du Mammouth (Domme, Dordogne, France), we developed an innovative approach to cave art that incorporates a geological and geomorphological analysis of the decorated walls combined with new mapping and digital recording techniques to produce a detailed ?identity card? of the site?s features.

Automated summary

The analysis of Upper Palaeolithic cave art focuses on images, technical characteristics, composition, and dating. Recent studies emphasize interdisciplinary perspectives including archaeology, karstology, and geomorphology, shedding new light on the long-term human occupation history of cave art. At Grotte du Mammouth, an innovative approach incorporates geological analysis and new recording techniques to produce detailed documentation of the site's features.