Photographier l’archéologie des grottes ornées

Abstract

The study of cave art, an archaeology of decorated caves on its own, gives photography a special place. Photography is indispensable, but always in addition to the many other recording and analysis techniques. Practiced from the very first research, photography participates in the establishment of proof on an equal footing with other recording techniques. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was marginalised due to the affirmation of surveys as the main means of understanding and disseminating cave paintings. From the 1950s onwards, however, it became the central medium for a corpus publication. Subsequently, its successive technical developments interacted with research issues. It became a real study tool integrated into a technical arsenal that was itself in constant evolution. With the advent of digital technology, between the 1980s and the 2000s, photography continues to diversify itself. It has become a central technique in the acquisition of data, the study and enhancement of knowledge, conservation and the affirmation of the heritage value of decorated sites.