Chauvet Cave, discovered in 1994, contains the world's oldest known figurative cave paintings, dating to roughly 36,500 years ago during the Aurignacian period. The artists depicted at least 13 different animal species, many now extinct, including cave lions, bears, and woolly rhinoceroses. Notably, the most elaborately decorated chambers show little evidence of daily habitation, leading experts to theorize the space was used for symbolic or ritual purposes. The site's exceptional preservation,