cave art

American  

noun

1. paintings and engravings on the walls of caves and rock-shelters, especially naturalistic depictions of animals, produced by Upper Paleolithic peoples of western Europe between about 28,000 and 10,000 years ago.

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Etymology

Origin of cave art

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cave art

Spectacular Ice Age cave art in places like Altamira and El Castillo encouraged the idea that symbolism and art switched on almost overnight in Ice Age Europe.

From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026

The cave art provides a rare glimpse of a culture that may have relied on this design to communicate valuable insights across generations during a period of climactic shifts.

From New York Times ● Feb. 14, 2024

During this period, new cultural elements emerged in various realms, including tool technology, food acquisition, seafaring, and artistic expression in ornaments and cave art.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 7, 2024

“The whole thing is unconvincing,” says archaeologist João Zilhão of the University of Barcelona, who has proposed that Neanderthals made early cave art.

From Science Magazine ● Jun. 4, 2023

The only break in the cave art is where a large painting hangs without a frame.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson