Researchers find 280 ice age cave paintings in a Spanish tourist site

Researchers discovered 280 Ice Age engravings inside the Cova de la Font Major cave in Catalonia, Spain.

These carvings were located about 250 yards from the cave entrance and had remained unnoticed by the public for centuries. People have visited the cave since the 12th century. From 1957, the site became a popular destination for treasure hunters and spelunkers, and authorities eventually turned it into a tourist attraction with a museum in 1993.

Because the cave walls were irregular in shape and color, experts previously assumed the site was unsuitable for Paleolithic art. The study published in Antiquity shows that the Iberian Peninsula holds over 50% of all documented cave art in Upper Paleolithic Europe. While many Spanish sites contain fewer than 20 depictions, Font Major contains 280 carvings. These include 55 different animals, such as bears, horses, and wild oxen.

Radiocarbon dating of organic material indicates that humans occupied the cave from as far back as 40,000 BCE until the Bronze Age. Some of the carvings consist of loop shapes and parallel lines. Researchers suggest that some of these specific markings might date to the medieval period rather than the Ice Age. The discovery has prompted experts to reexamine other caves in the region that were previously thought to be empty of artwork.