Spanish researchers from the University of Zaragoza have uncovered more than a hundred ancient cave paintings inside the Cova Dones cave, perched about 500 meters above the landscape near Valencia in eastern Iberia. The discovery, dating to at least 24,000 years ago, could stand as one of Europe’s most significant Paleolithic monuments. The team has published their findings in Antiquity, the respected scientific journal.
Spain remains the country with the highest concentration of Paleolithic rock art sites, yet the majority of these discoveries are clustered in the northern part of the country. The eastern Iberian region, by comparison, has yielded comparatively few documented examples until now, making the Cova Dones find especially noteworthy for understanding how early humans expressed themselves in this area.
Inside the subterranean gallery, researchers confirmed 19 images that portray animals such as fallow deer, horses, bison, and deer alongside other fauna. The suite of representations offers a glimpse into the variety of forms used by Paleolithic artists and hints at the possible roles these animals played in ancient daily life, ritual practices, or survival strategies.
Archaeologists describe the cave art at Cova Dones as striking for its diversity of motifs and the range of techniques employed. A notable feature is the extensive use of clay as a medium for painting. Clay pigments were known in Paleolithic art, but surviving examples are rare, making this site particularly important for understanding the materials and methods early artists experimented with.
The researchers emphasize that the work is in an early stage of study and that much terrain still awaits careful survey and documentation. Ongoing fieldwork is expected to reveal additional artworks and further illuminate the cultural landscape of this region during the Paleolithic period, inviting multiple future expeditions and analysis by international teams.
In related notes from earlier archaeological digs, there are references to Roman artifacts in other regions, including four swords found in Israel that date approximately two millennia to the past. Such discoveries contextualize the broad arc of human activity and artifact preservation across different eras, underscoring the continuity of exploration and interpretation across the Mediterranean basin.