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Prehistoric cave paintings at Covalanas in Cantabria
The paintings in Ramales de la Victoria are believed to be 22,000 years old
Although the prehistoric cave paintings of Altamira are renowned worldwide, Spain has many interesting prehistoric sites amongst them the cave of Covalanas in Ramales de la Victoria, in the region of Cantabria, one of many which are listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco under the title of “Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain”.
This site stands out as although it contains approximately 20 prehistoric paintings created thousands of years ago by the settlers in the north of Spain, it appears to have been used as a site in which budding artists were taught how to create designs.
The pictures were created by stamping a series of dots onto the cave walls, a technique which was also used in the better-known cave of Altamira and which has been found in the east and centre of Asturias as well as in the west of the Basque Country. Most of the Covalanas images depict deer, although a horse, a stag, a bull and various undeciphered signs are also visible.
All of the images use a reddish paint which was created by mixing water with iron oxide, and it is known that the artists applied this colour to the cave walls with their fingers or with stamping implements fashioned from bones and sticks covered with animal hide.
No definite date has been established for the paintings, but the best estimates of experts place them at around 22,000 years old.
The cave of Covalanas was discovered in 1903 by two historians, Hermilio Alcalde del Río and Lorenzo Sierra, who were also responsible for the finding of the paintings at Altamira. Just below it is another cave, “El Mirón”, which has no paintings but does contain evidence of human occupation in the late Paleolithic, and it is believed that this was the home of those who created the primitive art in Covalanas. Exactly why they did so is not clear, but one hypothesis is that it was a kind of sanctuary to them.
A visit to the cave of Covalanas is certainly not recommended for sufferers of claustrophobia, but 45-minute guided tours can be booked for groups of no more than eight people.
More information about visiting the cave, including opening times and entry fees can be found at culturadecantabria.com
Image: Copyrighted. Full or partial reproduction prohibited.Efe