The Cosquer cave
Hi Charlie!
I went to visit the reproduction of the Cosquer cave this Saturday and it was really good!
So first things first, what's the story of this cave ?
The Cosquer cave, discovered in 1985, is an underwater cave off the coast of Marseille, France, dating from the Upper Palaeolithic, around 27,000 years ago. It takes its name from the diver Henri Cosquer, who found it. Its rock paintings and engravings, notably of mammoths and human hands, bear witness to prehistoric life in the region and have been partially submerged due to rising sea levels.
Since the cave is very difficult to access (you need to be an experienced diver to get in) and is doomed to disappear, in 2019 the SUD region commissioned a company to create a reconstruction of the cave for the public in the former Mediterranean villa.
The work lasted four years and the exhibition opened in June 2022.
It is truly an immersive experience : You get in an lift that brings you to the bottom of the sea -37m- (you don't actually go underwater but it looks like it) and then in a small wagon that will take you around the cave, with an audio guide who will describe the landscape, the cave paintings and the history of the people who have lived in and worshiped this place.
I didn't know much about what happened there so it was really interesting finding out more about it. Plus the visuals were sooo realistic, paired with the typic cave's sound, it was like discovering it with Henri Cosquer ! The tour was suite long, so you really get to see everything in detail : I really liked it.
So if you ever get the chance to go, I highly recommend it!
By Alice SHEARER
