Archaeologists find 280 Ice Age engravings in Spanish cave
The discovery at Cova de la Font Major suggests northeastern Iberia may have had its own distinct prehistoric artistic traditions.
Archaeologists have identified 280 Palaeolithic motifs in the Cova de la Font Major cave in Catalonia, northeastern Spain, according to a report by the Times of India. The discovery, made during an archaeological visit on October 30, 2019, includes 55 zoomorphic representations of animals, such as a bear, and various non-figurative designs like geometric forms.
The research was conducted by Josep Maria Vergès Bosch and Míriam Salas-Altès of the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES-CERCA). Their findings were published in the journal Antiquity on November 5, 2026. The site is now considered the third largest known Palaeolithic cave art assemblage along the Mediterranean side of the Iberian Peninsula.
The cave has been visited since at least the 12th century, with the entrance being widely frequented by speleologists and treasure hunters from 1957 onwards. The engravings remained unnoticed for decades because they were obscured by more recent inscriptions and graffiti left by visitors.
Researchers noted that the engravings were produced through incisions and scraping into the rock's marl layers. The sheer number of animal figures distinguishes the site from many others, as 75 per cent of known assemblages along the Iberian Mediterranean coast contain no more than five animal figures.
The discovery challenges the idea that Palaeolithic art was concentrated primarily in the Franco-Cantabrian region. Previously, only two representations had been identified in Catalonia, but the motifs at Cova de la Font Major differ from the neighbouring Franco-Cantabrian tradition, suggesting a distinct artistic history in northeastern Iberia.