Dordogne: first absolute dating of Paleolithic paintings
For the first time, a study1 has confirmed the precise age of the cave paintings in Font-de-Gaume (Les Eyzies), according to research published on March 9, 2026, in the journal PNAS. Until now, it had been impossible to date the Paleolithic cave art in the region with certainty using carbon-14, as the paintings were believed to contain only iron and manganese oxides.
Scientists examined the chemical composition of two black drawings, depicting a bison and a mask, using Raman microspectrometry and hyperspectral imaging2. These non-invasive methods revealed traces of charcoal in the black pigments. The uniform presence of charcoal across all the black lines in the figures ruled out the possibility of contamination from graffiti or tourist activity in the cave. Micro-samples were exceptionally authorized for carbon-14 dating using the ARTEMIS accelerator mass spectrometer, a national instrument located at the CEA in Saclay. The analyses confirmed a date in the Upper Paleolithic, slightly younger than previously estimated: the bison would have been painted between 13,461 and 13,162 calBP3, while different parts of the mask would have been painted between 8,993 and 8,590 calBP, 15,981 and 15,121 calBP, and between 15,297 and 14,246 calBP.
Thanks to this new analysis methodology, combining imaging and dating, scientists hope to obtain accurate dates for other Paleolithic figures, paving the way for a better understanding of cave art and the populations that created it.
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1 From the Laboratory for Instrumental Development and Innovative Methodologies for Cultural Property (Chimie ParisTech-PSL/CNRS/Ministry of Culture). Scientists from the Carbon-14 Measurement Laboratory (CEA/CNRS/IRD/ASNR/Ministry of Culture), a national platform attached to the Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences (CEA/CNRS/ University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines), the Natural History of Prehistoric Humanities Laboratory (CNRS/MNHN/University of Perpignan Via Domitia), the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, and the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France also contributed to this work.
2 Scientific imaging that measures the color at each point and deduces the chemical composition of the colored compounds present. This technique is widely used in the field of cultural heritage sciences, as well as in biomedical, agricultural, environmental, and astrophysical research.
3 Calibrated Before Present, years calibrated before the present, conventionally set at 1950. This measurement takes into account various factors such as variations in the atmospheric concentration of carbon-14, solar activity, and the Earth’s magnetic field.
Bibliography
Radiocarbon dating and chemical imaging of carbon black-based Paleolithic cave art in the Dordogne region (France). Ina Reiche, Lucile Beck, Ingrid Caffy, Yvan Coquinot, Matthias Alfeld, Anne Maigret, José Tapia, Marc Martinez, Anthony Lescale, Patrick Paillet. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 9 mars 2026. DOI : https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2524751123
