France's Cosquer cave: 20,000 years under the sea • FRANCE 24 English

In the creeks near Marseille, 37 metres underwater, lies the only submerged cave on the planet that's covered with cave paintings. On its damp walls, people have painted horses, bison, ibex and even penguins - animals that were present in the south of France during the Ice Age. The oldest paintings date back some 27,000 years.
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[@lenrichardson7349]

Many question from people who are not aware of the layout of the cave. The entrance is underwater but the cave itself is just above the water. From the entrance you rise up a sloping tunnel until you reach the cave, also rising above the water level as you do. The cave is not air tight, the rock being porous, so the entrance can not be sealed to save it from the rising water.

[@rikmacg1288]

I would like to know if any of the paintings are under the water. That would show if the cave really was exposed at one time.

[@sony7949]

It was in fact exposed, there is only 1 tunnel that leads to thar cave and it is entirely submerged underwater. There was no way for them to even reach that far into the cave without drowning.

[@jcrodriguez830]

We really are capable of some great things

[@johnhenderson1443]

they need to block off the entrance and use extremely high flow pumps and pump out all the water :)

[@shamsheed1726]

Amazing they used the Oculus aswel.
What an awesome discovery

[@flex1661]

Nice! Now lets make some condos on them

[@DMEseter]

Wow incredible.

[@stefananslow2441]

Been there 20,000 years just fine but now it’s gonna flood because of global warming 😂😂😂😂😂

[@pierreverdoni]

Exactly@dangnamese

[@pierreverdoni]

they can stop blaming the cars in 2024@dangnamese

[@rikmacg1288]

I would like to know if any of the paintings are under water??

[@flex1661]

Lmao

[@OrigWJ]

Narrator said they’ll be completely covered in a few decades. The most aggressive I’ve heard is the sea level rising like a few centimeters in 100 years.

[@FenderJunkie100]

Excellent intro. Well done

[@Abraxus81]

24 million sounds like a lot for a copy at first, but they made the money back in a few years and then they made a profit. The 800,000 visitors in the first year alone brought in between 4-6 million from admission. They also sell souvenirs. This gives young and old the opportunity to take a look into the past, even if the original cave will soon be gone. The investment makes sense.

[@WooBino.]

Couldnt they drain it like bridge footings?

[@HarryGoulding]

Who is here from 2060 and knows the cave is still there?

[@Stridsvagn-ph7sf]

It wont be in 2060.

[@HarryGoulding]

@Stridsvagn-ph7sf because of "global warming" lol 😆

[@Stridsvagn-ph7sf]

@@HarryGoulding If you still dont believe it, this is definitely a problem of your side. Sad to see you like that.

[@Nate-wh7ht]

See in America our native American ancestors drew the same things but they always told a story

[@manlyphal959]

They should build a damn around it and pump out the water and secure the place. The replica can never replicate the real magic of it. I'd rather see someone filming the real than be at the replica

[@makukachawngthu6500]

Dam

[@Eman300man]

@@makukachawngthu6500 psychopath

[@twistpv]

Warrior/ hunters right of passage challenge test to reach

[@aidanconvery7460]

Lime kills fish in water - primitive fishing method

[@michaelvivirito]

How can we prove the paintings are as old as they say?

[@Ezol1]

With carbon dating, identifing the paitings, animals, structures and so on :)

[@flex1661]

Joe Biden was there

[@professormancaptain4210]

Carbon dating. Archeo chemistry is also a new growing science

[@robertvermeer5951]

Why throw away loads of money to make copies when they can just film it and make photo's?? I'd rather see the real thing anyway.

[@Lmtaytay]

For the money they put into the replica, they could have shut off the entrance and drilled down from the top.

[@Abraxus81]

They made the money back in a few years and then they made a profit. The 800,000 visitors in the first year alone brought in between 4-6 million from admission. They also sell souvenirs. This gives old and young people the opportunity to take a look into the past. The investment makes sense.

[@StrGrpp4]

is it possible to tunnel down and create an entrance instead of having to swim?

[@GrrrbowNHR]

Cost less to swim

[@sk1mpy]

this is not minecraft my guy, you dobt just “tunnel down” through earth

[@tomwilson3969]

​@FreewayDani we have been tunneling through the earth for thousands of years 😂

[@krolsemprini666]

​@@tomwilson3969wow did you really?😂

[@deivakumarkumar4857]

How Oxygen is possible there?

[@artoriasabysswalker5133]

maybe back then it wasnt under water

[@deivakumarkumar4857]

@@artoriasabysswalker5133 Yes.

[@Ezol1]

@@deivakumarkumar4857Water usually lets through some oxygen if it's moving. Other than that there are enough air in there because of how big the cave is (but it probably pretty hot and humid).

[@deivakumarkumar4857]

@@Ezol1 ♥️

[@JacobSteinberg75]

I doubt people made this

[@rosbifle413]

Who made it in your opinion?

[@maximus-6788]

I doubt that you are healty in the head!

[@JacobSteinberg75]

humanoid great apes@@rosbifle413

[@sk1mpy]

its aliens bro aliens or maybe dogcats

[@fantabaz1]

Must have been the penguins 😂