The group of more than 700 sites known as the Prehistoric Rock Art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin, a type of Levantine art, was officially named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998. These sites are located in the eastern part of Spain and include rock art created during the Upper Paleolithic or more likely the Mesolithic periods of the Stone Age. The artwork features small painted images of humans and animals, which are among the most advanced and widespread examples from that time, especially in Europe and possibly the world in earlier works. The site is notable for having the largest number of such locations in Europe. Its name refers to the Mediterranean Basin, but while some sites are near the sea, many are inland in the regions of Aragon and Castilla–La Mancha. This art is called Levantine art, which means "from Eastern Spain," not the Levant region.

Historical period

There has been a lot of discussion about when Levantine paintings were made and whether they belong to the Mesolithic, the end of the Paleolithic, or the Neolithic periods. These paintings look very different from the well-known art of the Upper Paleolithic found in caves near the Pyrenees, but they might still share some similarities with it. According to UNESCO, the oldest art in the World Heritage Site dates back to 8,000 BC, and the most recent examples are from around 3500 BC. This shows a long period of cultural change. The art reflects the lives of people who mainly relied on hunting and gathering, but over time, they began to include Neolithic practices in their culture. Later paintings show men riding horses, and some cattle in the artwork may have been domesticated. The time periods of Levantine art and Iberian schematic art overlap, and both types of art can be found at some sites. Some caves, like the Caves of El Cogul, still had visitors in later times, as shown by writings in the Iberian language and Latin. These writings might be connected to repainting of figures. The paintings were likely created after people from North Africa arrived in Iberia and mixed with earlier groups living there.

Discovery

Levantine Art was first found in Teruel, Spain, in 1903. Juan Cabre, a Spanish prehistorian, was the first to study this art and called it regional Palaeolithic art. However, some people questioned this classification because no images of glacial animals were found. Antonio Beltrán Martínez and others believed the art began during the Epipaleolithic or Mesolithic periods, with its peak during the Neolithic period. Accepting that the art was created after the Palaeolithic era, Ripio created a new timeline in the 1960s. He divided the art into four stages: naturalistic, stylized static, stylized dynamic, and a final phase showing a transition to schematic styles.

Characteristics

The art was created over many thousands of years across a large area. It shows changes in style and themes over time, reflecting a long history, some local differences, and changes in how people lived. However, experts still debate the exact details of these changes.

Artists used feathers in a more complex painting method than the art of the Upper Paleolithic, which had simpler figures. Many figures were outlined after the main body was painted. Some figures were shallowly engraved instead of painted. The figures were small, between about 8 and 1 inch (20.3 and 2.5 centimeters) tall, and often painted in one or two colors. The paint was usually very thin, made from mineral earths (often reddish) or charcoal. A thin, clear layer of limescale formed over the paintings from water dripping on the walls, helping to preserve them. Some figures had multiple layers of paint, leading some to believe they were repainted after long periods, though this is not certain.

Human figures, which were rare in Paleolithic art, became important in Levantine Art. Humans often appeared as the main subject, and when shown with animals, they ran toward them. The painting called The Dancers of Cogul shows movement well. Most scenes show hunting, with some showing battles, dancing, and possibly farming or managing animals. In one scene, people are shown gathering honey, as seen at Cuevas de la Araña. Humans were usually naked above the waist, but women wore skirts, and men sometimes wore skirts, gaiters, or trousers. Headdresses and masks were also used, possibly to show rank or status, similar to North American Plains Indians. Some figures had exaggerated features, like large calves or long legs, or wore special clothing, such as "tufted" pantaloons. Ordinary soldiers were shown as simple stick figures.

Levantine Art had a stronger sense of composition in group scenes than Paleolithic art. Animals running were shown in a "flying gallop" style, a technique used in art until after photography was invented. Humans were also shown with wide strides or in a "flying running" pose with legs spread 180 degrees apart. Scenes often showed dramatic moments, such as dead or dying people and animals, or battles with up to 44 figures. Some scenes showed executions by archers or hanging, which may have appeared later and in specific areas like the Gasulla and Valltota gorges in Castellón.

Archer bows were a key weapon, and some were very large. To show distance between an archer and their prey, some sites used a trail of the hunted animal, a clever technique. Scenes with groups of armed people sometimes showed dances, and women were also shown dancing with still feet and using only arm and upper-body movements. At the Caves of El Cogul, eleven women in skirts are shown circling a naked man with an erect phallus.

Human bodies were often shown with pear-shaped, hemispherical, or conical heads. The upper body was usually naked, and sometimes trousers or other clothing were worn. Genitals and phallic symbols were sometimes depicted. Tools shown included arrows, sticks, quivers, bags, and ropes, which may have been used as lassos. These items were usually linked to humans, except arrows, which sometimes appeared as if they had missed their targets.

There were no landscapes or much vegetation shown, except for a depiction of mushrooms (possibly Psilocybe hispanica) at Selva Pascuala. Animals were often shown, especially large mammals useful for hunting or that later became domesticated. Birds, fish, and insects were rarely shown, except for spiders and bees in honey-gathering scenes. Some animals match species seen today, and their frequency has been used to date the art. Others may represent extinct Ice Age species, though this is debated. Some animals were overpainted to change their species, possibly showing changes in wildlife. Common animals included deer, goats (the most frequent), boar, cattle (sometimes hunted or domesticated), and dogs, which appeared in hunting scenes.

Animals were often shown singly or in groups, usually in profile but with horns and hooves facing forward. The paintings may have had religious or "hunting magic" meanings, or they could simply celebrate daily life, including religious ceremonies.

Mesolithic Iberian cave art shows battles between archers. For example, three archers encircled by four are found in Cova del Roure, and a larger battle with eleven archers attacked by seventeen is in Les Dogue. At Val del Charco del Agua Amarga, seven archers with plumes fled from eight pursuers.

Location

The World Heritage Site includes rock art found across an area that spans from the Pyrenees to the province of Granada. This area is located within the regions of Catalonia, Aragon, Castile-La Mancha, Murcia, Valencia, and Andalusia. It was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural in 1985, which means it is recognized as an important cultural heritage site.

The rock art is often found in rock shelters protected by natural ledges and in shallow caves where sunlight can easily enter. Art can appear anywhere on the walls of these shelters, such as high up or halfway down. These sites were not used for living, and there are no signs of fire pits or trash, which would help determine their age. Some sites have many overlapping images, while nearby areas that seem suitable for art have no images at all. Many of these sites are located in deep valleys and ravines, which are not useful for farming but may have been helpful for hunting by trapping animals in narrow spaces.

In general, the condition of these sites is poor. However, local efforts have been made to protect them. For example, the town of Villar del Humo has created a cultural park to preserve the area.

List of protected sites

This is a group of 727 rock shelters, caves, or ravine walls (as listed by UNESCO) that have drawings of people or animals, or patterns made with lines and shapes. These sites are spread across the 16 provinces in the 6 regions mentioned earlier:

• Valencian Community: 301 places. Province of Alicante: 130 places. Province of Castellón: 102 places. Province of Valencia: 69 places.
• Aragon: 132 places. Province of Teruel: 67 places. Province of Huesca: 47 places. Province of Zaragoza: 18 places.
• Castile-La Mancha: 93 places. Province of Albacete: 79 places. Province of Cuenca: 12 places. Province of Guadalajara: 2 places.
• Region of Murcia: 72 places.
• Andalusia: 69 places. Province of Jaén: 42 places. Province of Almería: 25 places. Province of Granada: 2 places.

In 2006, the Parliament of Andalusia asked UNESCO to add the rock art of the provinces of Málaga and Cádiz to a Tentative List.

• Catalonia: 60 places. Province of Tarragona: 39 places. In Ulldecona, the largest group of paintings in Catalonia is found. This small town has a modern center that explains the rock art. Province of Lleida: 16 places. Province of Barcelona: 5 places.