In the almost 150 years that have passed since the great treasure of Paleolithic rock art came to light in the Cantabrian Altamira cave, an enclave of this importance had not been found in the combined territories of Catalonia, the Valencian Community and Murcia.
It is not comparable to the great Franco-Cantabrian paleolithic sanctuaries, such as those of Santillana del Mar or Lascaux, or to some Andalusian ones, but it is extraordinary in the area, as Virginia Barciela, professor of Preshistory and researcher at the University of Alicante, explains to La Vanguardia. . And it solves a lack that seemed strange, given the existence of the Parpalló Cave, which has the largest collection of decorated Paleolithic plaques in the world.
It is in this context that we must value the discovery of Paleolithic paintings made in the Cova de les Dones, in the Valencian municipality of Miralles, by archaeologists and specialists in Prehistoric Art, Aitor Ruiz-Redondo (University of Zaragoza- IUCA), Virginia Barciela González and Ximo Martorell Briz (University of Alicante). Between the three of them, they discovered more than thirty new groups of rock art in the last two decades in different European regions.
The three have made the world aware of the relevance of this discovery through an article published in the scientific magazine ‘Antiquity’, in which it is described as the largest site of Paleolithic rock art in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, with more than 100 paintings and engravings from almost 24,000 years ago.
Virginia Barciela explains that “the three researchers responsible have been studying rock art for years and have made numerous discoveries of prehistoric rock art. But most of the time it is what we call post-Paleolithic art, that is, art corresponding to agricultural societies. and livestock (that is, since the Neolithic) or – according to some theories – since the Mesolithic, the last period of hunter-gatherers”.
To what extent is the discovery unexpected? Was it foreseeable?
The cavity is well known to hikers, speleologists and even archaeologists, some of whom had already pointed out the existence of paintings and engravings, although without detailing a specific chronology. After our visit in 2021, the General Directorate of Valencian Cultural Heritage was informed of the existence of paintings whose style clearly indicates their belonging to the Upper Paleolithic, an absolutely extraordinary fact in the area. It must be taken into account that in the context of the eastern Mediterranean of the Iberian Peninsula there are only 21 possible groups discovered with this type of art.
How do you value its importance? To what extent does it provide information about how the inhabitants of this area live?
It is an extraordinary site, with at least 110 painted and engraved figures, 19 of them animals and made with various techniques. Obviously it cannot be compared with some of the great Paleolithic sanctuaries of the Franco-Cantabrian zone or with the great Andalusian complexes, but in this territory it is the greatest concentration of Paleolithic rock art motifs in the same cavity.
The information it provides us is crucial to understanding how these hunter-gatherer societies lived, especially with regard to their symbolic behaviors. But to know more details we need to begin an in-depth investigation of the archaeological context of the site and the surrounding territory. Know which areas they frequented and what activities they related to: whether they are areas of passage, habitat or sanctuaries, understood as places of social aggregation.
From what has been found so far, can we deduce what can be expected to be found later in the cave?
The objective now is to develop a research project, in which numerous specialists will participate, that will allow us to relate the cavity with the Paleolithic settlement of the area. And, of course, continue documenting the cave, where more finds are expected in the coming years of study. And, who knows, if we can find a similar set in another nearby cavity.
By what means and how is this research financed? Are they enough?
At the moment we are working on drafting a multi-year project that will allow us to obtain regional or national financing from public calls. The preliminary studies have been financed by the funds that we have allocated in each of our institutions for research, which are clearly insufficient. We hope to have good results and be able to develop this project.
The study now published is a preliminary analysis of the characteristics and relevance of the site in the context of European Paleolithic art. In the Cova de les Dones, 19 confirmed animal representations have been found so far (deer, horses, aurochs and a deer), in a site that stands out, in addition to its number of motifs and geographical location, for a technical peculiarity: Most of the paintings have been made with clay.
Although this technique is known in Paleolithic art, examples of its use are scarce, while in the Cova de les Dones it is the majority technique. Despite the simplicity of execution, the antiquity of these ‘clay paintings’ is supported, in addition to their “style” (which includes clear Paleolithic conventions), by the presence of thick stalagmitic crusts that cover several of them.
“Animals and signs were represented simply by dragging clay-covered fingers and palms on the walls. The ‘paintings’ dried slowly, preventing parts of the clay from flaking and falling quickly, while other parts were covered by layers of calcite, which preserved them until today,” explains prehistoric art specialist Aitor Ruiz-Redondo.
