Chauvet Cave, Cave with prehistoric art in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, France

The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave is a limestone cave in the Gorges de l'Ardèche, 25 metres below the plateau at an altitude of 185–198 metres. Its entrance, now blocked by a 4,500 m³ rockfall, opens onto a 10-metre shaft leading to galleries with paintings and engravings.

Three amateur speleologists — Jean-Marie Chauvet, Éliette Brunel and Christian Hillaire — entered the cave on 18 December 1994 through a narrow opening above the Cirque d'Estre. A collapse had sealed the original entrance at least 21,500 years ago. Radiocarbon dates on charcoal place the black drawings in the Aurignacian, roughly 37,000 to 33,500 years ago, with a later Gravettian occupation around 31,000 to 28,000 years ago.

The site takes its name from speleologist Jean-Marie Chauvet, who discovered it alongside his companions and documented its contents. The depictions show animals in motion and use shading along with natural rock contours to create depth and perspective.

The original formation remains permanently closed to safeguard the prehistoric artwork, but a full-scale reproduction called Caverne du Pont d'Arc offers a complete replica of all paintings and chambers. The replica stands a few kilometers from the original and allows visitors to walk through the entire layout.

Researchers found handprints from several individuals in red pigment placed directly beside the animal depictions on the walls. Some paintings use the natural shape of rock protrusions to give the animals three-dimensional forms.