September 8th, 2010 | 
Author: French president Nicolas Sarkozy will make an official visit to the Dordogne on Sunday, to mark the 70th anniversary of a major archaeological discovery in the region.
On September 12, 1940, four teenagers discovered a complex of caves known as ‘Lascaux,’ in which a number of Paleolithic cave paintings were found.
Experts do not know exactly when the paintings were made, but they estimate that some could be 18,000 years old. Most of the paintings depict large animals which probably lived in the area thousands of years ago.
The site was opened to the public in 1948, and gained UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979. However, the caves have been closed since 1963 as the paintings were becoming damaged by carbon dioxide and the presence of a black mould.
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the discovery, President Sarkozy and Frédéric Mitterrand, France’s Minister of Culture and Communication, will visit the cave before unveiling a commemorative plaque in the nearby village of Montignac.
Only two of the cave’s discoverers are still alive, and both will be present on Sunday for a day of public festivities and special events to celebrate the anniversary.
“It’s a very special occasion for me, even if it would have been nice for all four of us [cave discoverers] to be here,” 83-year-old Simon Coencas told AFP.
“The spirit of this event will be one of celebration rather than commemoration. We want everyone to make the most of the presence of the cave’s two surviving discoverers,” added Marie-France Gauthier, assistant to the Mayor of Montignac.
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