Rock paintings and writing

The pictures our ancestors drew or carved on rock and cave walls count as the oldest works of art. They were made before writing appeared, so they are a very valuable source for the history of ancient times. The paintings often show animals being hunted, so we can see what people hunted and how they lived. The most famous in Europe are in Altamira cave in Spain, Lascaux cave in France and Kapova cave in Bashkortostan in Russia; they were made tens of thousands of years ago by Cro-Magnon people. Artists made paint from natural minerals and used sticks or animal hair as brushes. In Uzbekistan pictures were made in two ways: by pecking dots into the stone and with natural paint. In the Sarmishsoy gorge in Navoi region lions, tigers, other animals and hunters are shown; it is called an “open-air museum” and is protected. Never touch rock paintings or write over them.