An expansive replica of the Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave is scheduled to open to the public next month in France . The original Chauvet Cave is famous for its 36,000-year-old art , which dates back to prehistoric times and is believed to be the oldest in the world . In order to recreate the cave and its drawings with accuracy , 3-D modelling was used and some 6,000 digital images were overlapped in developing sketches . An expansive replica of the Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave is scheduled to open to the public soon in southern France . In total , £45million ( $ 67million ) has been spent to create the replica cave complex , which is situated inside a larger educational exhibition . Located one and a half miles from the original caves , construction began on the project in 2012 and is finally expected to be completed by April . The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave , discovered in 1994 , is the length of two-and-a-half football fields and covers 68,000 square feet . Its five enormous chambers are not replicated to exact original proportions , but greater focus is given to highlighting the cave 's impressive prehistoric art . The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave replica has been under construction since 2012 and is estimated to have cost about £45million . The original cave is famous for its 36,000-year-old art , which dates back to prehistoric times and is believed to be the oldest in the world . In order to accurately recreate the cave , 3D modelling was used , as well as many digital images overlapped . The original cave , with its drawings of mammoths and footprints , was inscribed on Unesco 's World Heritage list in 2010 . The cave , with its drawings of mammoths , human footprints and other carvings , was inscribed on Unesco 's World Heritage list several years ago . According to the UN cultural agency , the decorated caves contain some of the best preserved figurative drawings in the world . Experts have found more than 1,000 images on the walls of the cave , which is also known as the Grotte Chauvet-Pont d'Arc , after being discovered by researcher Jean-Marie Chauvet in the Ardeche region . According to the UN , the decorated caves contain some of the best preserved figurative drawings in the world . The Chauvet-Pont d'Arc Caves were first discovered by researcher Jean-Marie Chauvet in the Ardeche region in 1994 . The cave complex , which is the length of two and a half football fields and covers 68,000 square feet , is situated in an educational exhibit . The original cave has five enormous chambers , but the replica focuses more on highlighting the cave 's prehistoric art . In 2011 , the caves became the subject of a 3D documentary by German filmmaker , Werner Herzog , called Cave of Forgotten Dreams . The drawings are especially interesting because they suggest that the tribes who came from Africa to Europe may have brought language . Researchers discovered 26 signs , drawn in the same style , which appear again and again across the cave 's interiors . Experts believe that such repetitive signs are actually an early attempt at communicating through writing . In 2011 , the caves became the subject of a 3D documentary by German filmmaker , Werner Herzog , called Cave of Forgotten Dreams . The drawings suggest that tribes who came to Europe from Africa could have actually brought 'language ' with them . Twenty-six signs , drawn in the same style , appeared again and again , which led researchers to believe that they may have discovered some of the very first attempts to communicate through writing .
A replica of the famous Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave in southern France is set to open a half miles from the original . The original , which was the subject of a 2011 documentary , is known for its 36,000-year-old wall art . Experts believe that the cave , which is now a Unesco World Heritage site , is evidence of early communication .