Cave, or rock paintings are paintings painted on cave or rock walls and ceilings, usually dating to pre-historic times.

When Europeans first encountered these types of paintings some 150 years ago they were often considered primative, but recent reappraisals and new discoveries indicate that many show high levels of artistry of Stone Age humans, and give valuable clues as to the culture and beliefs of that era.

The age of the paintings in many sites remains a contentious issue, since methods like radio carbon dating can be easily mislead by contaminated samples of older or newer material, and caves and rocky overhangs are typically littered with debris from many time periods.

The commonest themes in cave paintings are large wild animals, such as bison, deer, aurochs, and bears, and tracings of human hands.

Well known cave paintings include those of:

• Lascaux in France (discovered by a dog named Robot)
• La Marche, in the Lussac-les-Chateaux area of France
• Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc, France
• Altamira in Spain
• Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg, South Africa (now thought to be some 3,000 years old, the paintings by the San people who settled in the area some 8,000 years ago depict animals and humans, and are thought to represent religious beliefs.)