Chauvet: Humanity's First Great Masterpiece

Directed by Guy Padovani

Written by Guy Padovani, Marc Azéma, Gaétan Mourral, Nicolas Glimois, Yvonne Debeaumarché

In December 1994, an archaeological marvel hidden deep inside France's Gorges de l'Ardèche was revealed to the modern world for the very first time: the Chauvet cave. Scientists immediately recognised the importance of this discovery. Sealed by a landslide more than 20,000 years ago, the cave had been extraordinarily well preserved. With over 1,000 paintings adorning its walls, Chauvet is a cave art jewel. How were the hidden chambers first formed? Who created the extraordinary art? And how can we preserve it for future generations? Follows a 30-year archaeological, geological and artistic adventure as scientists endeavour to understand and conserve this exceptional record of humanity's distant past.