Paleolithic peoples did more than just survive. The cave paintings of large animals found at Lascaux (la • SKOH) in southern France and Altamira in northern Spain bear witness to the cultural activity of Paleolithic peoples. The Chauvet cave discovered in southern France in 1994 contained more than 300 paintings of lions, oxen, owls, panthers, and other animals. Most of these are animals that Paleolithic peoples did not hunt, which indicates that they were painted for religious or decorative purposes.
Using stone lamps filled with animal fat to light the caves, early artists painted with fingers and twigs and even blew paint through hollow reeds. They mixed mineral ores with animal fat to make red, yellow, and black paint. A variety of realistically painted animals covers the caves. Few humans appear in these paintings, and when they do appear, they are drawn as sticklike figures. This has led some scholars to think the work was done for a magical or religious ritual to bring success in hunting.