The spectacular prehistoric drawings and paintings – at open air sites or in the darkness of caves – have always been in the focus of scientists and media. While producing art, prehistoric people changed the natural environment into an anthropogenically marked landscape. Other finds of everyday life or ritual context contribute to our understanding of rock art. Research already produced a broad data set and methodology to embed open-air rock art into its surrounding landscape. However, transferring and adjusting these methods to caves, we enter uncharted territories.

Since a couple of years the Neanderthal Museum has actively contributed to rock art research; not just due to the curation of a comprehensive photographic archive – the Collection Wendel. Currently, field research concentrates on ice-age cave art in south western France (Volp-Caves and Perte de la Tuilerie) and rock art in the Sahara (Djara - Egypt and Ennedi - Chad).  

Volp-Caves
The Volp-Caves are one of the best known sites worldwide (Tuc d’Audoubert, Les Trois-Frères and Enlène). They are top-ranking because of the presence of extraordinary rock art, unique clay-sculptures, numerous and diverse footprints, and excellent conditions for preservation. An international team of researchers is preparing a comprehensive scientific publication on the cave of Tuc d’Audoubert.  

Perte de la Tuilerie
In 1995 a smaller cave, Perte de la Tuilerie’, was discovered in the same valley of the river Volp. Engravings of a horse, a wisent and a miscellaneous animal were found along the walls of a long and narrow gallery. The stile, in which the head of the wisent was drawn, is of special interest. The disproportionately large prosoma and head eaquals drawings from Pech-Merle as well as Niaux.  

Djara
Investigations of the Egyptian limestone plateau in the Libyan Desert are carried out by the Heinrich-Barth-Institute and the Forschungsstelle Afrika / Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Cologne. In an area of neolithic occupation a cave was discovered with over-stylised, engraved or pecked figures: Djara 90/1. Due to the excellent preservation at Djara 90/1, a detailed study of the configuration of the image areas becomes possible. Preparatory drawings and missing superimposition indicate a very accurate and careful execution as well as respect towards existing compositions. Besides these detailed studies, a general analysis of the relationship between cave room and rock art is at the centre of interest.  

Ennedi
Since 2003 researchers of the Heinrich-Barth-Institute and the University of Cologne have undertaken archaeological research in the north east of the Chad. During the last years, altogether 132 sites with rock art and 262 occupation areas have been discovered.