Skip to Main Content

The Oldest Enigma of Humanity

The Key to the Mystery of the Paleolithic Cave Paintings

By Bertrand David and Jean-Jacques Lefrère

Thirty thousand years ago our prehistoric ancestors painted perfect images of animals on walls of tortuous caves, most often without any light. How was this possible? What meaning and messages did the cavemen want these paintings to convey? In addition, how did these perfect drawings come about at a time when man’s sole purpose was surviving? And why, some ten thousand years later, did startlingly similar animal paintings appear once again, on dark cave walls?

Scholars and archaeologists have for centuries pored over these works of art, speculating and hoping to come away with the key to the mystery. No one until now has ever come close to elucidating either their origin or their meaning.

In their stunning book and for the first time, David and Lefrère, after working together for years, give us a new understanding of an art lost in time, revealing what had until recently remained unexplainable—the oldest enigma in humanity has been solved.
Bertrand David

Bertrand David is a graduate of the school of Fine Arts in Rennes, and is a painter and designer.

Jean-Jacques Lefrère

Jean-Jacques Lefrè re was a professor of medicine, as well as an essayist and historian. He lived in Paris until his death in 2015.

"A must-read. The Oldest Enigma may well have been unlocked in this fascinating new theory."—l'Express

"Staggering return to 35.000 year art. This book offers a provocative conclusion to the mystery: prehistoric man utilized small statues of animals, projected on caves walls by oil lamps, to paint. The debates begin."—Actualités

"A revolutionary theory that will trigger controversy; well worth reading."—France Magazine

"Very entertaining; this new hypothesis will provoke a great deal of
teeth grinding."—Agence France Presse
“Bertrand David offers readers a new perspective on ancient cave art. . . an interesting and well-written book.”—The Underground Movement

"A must-read. The Oldest Enigma may well have been unlocked in this fascinating new theory."—l'Express

"Staggering return to 35.000 year art. This book offers a provocative conclusion to the mystery: prehistoric man utilized small statues of animals, projected on caves walls by oil lamps, to paint. The debates begin."—Actualités

"A revolutionary theory that will trigger controversy; well worth reading."—France Magazine

"Very entertaining; this new hypothesis will provoke a great deal of
teeth grinding."—Agence France Presse
“Bertrand David offers readers a new perspective on ancient cave art. . . an interesting and well-written book.”—The Underground Movement

The Oldest Enigma of Humanity

The Key to the Mystery of the Paleolithic Cave Paintings

By Bertrand David and Jean-Jacques Lefrère