What if I told you about a time capsule hidden beneath the waves? The Grotte Cosquer is such a place. It is a window into a world long gone.
Welcome to the story of the Grotte Cosquer. This isn’t just any cave. The Grotte Cosquer is a prehistoric treasure. It is submerged in the Calanque de la Triperie near Marseille.
Imagine a landscape much different from today. During the last ice age the sea level was much lower. It was about 120 meters lower. The coastline was about eight kilometers further out. People walked where today fish swim.
The Grotte Cosquer was discovered by Henri Cosquer in 1991. He was a diver from Cassis. The cave’s entrance lies 37 meters below sea level. This makes it the only known decorated cave with an underwater entrance.
The cave’s history goes back much further than its discovery in 1991. The cave was visited between 33000 and 18500 years ago. This is based on carbon-14 dating of the cave paintings. There are over 517 parietal figures. They correspond to two periods of occupation. One is Gravettian around 27000 years ago. The other is Epigravettian or Solutrean around 19000 years ago.
Henri Cosquer first explored the cave in 1985. He went with a friend. They stopped at the “strate”. This is where the passage narrows. In June 1990 Cosquer sought help from Belgian cave divers. The brothers Bernard and Marc Van Espen helped him. They found the entrance at -37 meters near Cap Morgiou. They carefully navigated the passage to a subterranean lake.
In June 1991 Marc Van Espen returned. On June 24 he and Cosquer went to the end of the passage. A few days later Cosquer explored the cave with friends. They were Cendrine Cosquer Yann Gogan and Pascale Oriol. Yann Gogan saw the outline of a hand on a wall. Pascale Oriol suggested it was a prehistoric painting.
Several dives in July and August 1991 led to more discoveries. They found parietal figures. Thierry Pelissier and Gilles Sourice helped them film and photograph the cave.
Tragedy struck when three divers died in the cave. They could not find their way out. Henri Cosquer helped recover the bodies. He reported the cave to maritime authorities.
Experts have verified the authenticity of the paintings. There was doubt at first.
Archaeological research took place from 2001 to 2015. Luc Vanrell and Michel Olive led these operations.
The Grotte Cosquer contains art from the Upper Paleolithic period. Radiocarbon dating has confirmed two main phases of art. The older phase includes negative hands and finger tracings. These date back about 27000 years. There are 65 negative hands 44 black and 21 red. The artists used a stencil technique. They blew pigment around their hands. Until the discovery of the Chauvet Cave the Cosquer hands were the oldest dated paintings.
The more recent phase includes signs and animal paintings. These are about 19000 years old. Horses are the most common animals. There are 63 horses. Other animals include ibex deer bison and aurochs. There are also unique marine animals. These include seals penguins jellyfish fish and cetaceans. In total 177 animals have been identified. One engraving is believed to be a wounded man.
The cave was probably a sanctuary for Paleolithic people. They also used calcite from the cave. The purpose is unknown.
The cave is not open to the public. Its underwater entrance has been blocked. This protects it and prevents accidents.
The Grotte Cosquer remains a mystery. Its art connects us to our distant ancestors. It offers insights into their lives and beliefs. The Grotte Cosquer is a treasure worth protecting.