Posted: Apr 24, 2015 7:16 pm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32403867
B.B.C. Article
Vast replica recreates prehistoric Chauvet cave
In the Ardeche gorge in southern France lies one of the most important prehistoric sites ever discovered.
It's locked away behind a thick metal door, hidden halfway up a towering limestone cliff-face.
Few people have ever been allowed inside, but BBC Newsnight has been granted rare access by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication.
We slide through a metal passageway on our backsides, and then tentatively descend a ladder.
It takes a few moments to adjust to the darkness, but our head torches soon reveal that we've entered into a vast cave system of geological beauty.
We weave along the narrow metal walkways; stalactites and stalagmites glimmer in the light, sparkling curtains of calcite hang down from above and the floor is awash with the bones of long-dead animals.
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