Postage Stamps Tell a Story

Prehistoric Cave Paintings.

Like little mirrors, stamps from every country around the world chronicle world history, events, and culture. Stamps are more than just a tool to show prepayment for mail delivery service, stamps also tell a story – and each one has a tale of its own.

On September 12, 1940, Near Montignac, France, a collection of prehistoric cave paintings were discovered by four teenagers who stumbled upon the ancient artwork after following their dog down a narrow entrance into a cavern.

The complex system of caves called "Lascaux" is located near the village of Montignac in Southwestern France. Over 600 wall paintings were discovered covering the interior walls and ceilings of the cavern, and mostly consist of drawings of large animals, and other typical local fauna. It has been detemined that many of the drawings and paintings correspond with the fossil records of the Upper Paleolithic time. The drawings are believed to have occurred through many generations and the debate about the age of the drawings continues. Currently it is thought that the paintings are to be approximately 17,000 years old. Lascaux was inducted into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1979.

More information can be found HERE