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Rock art in Catalunya

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A picture is worth a thousand words, and whether you’re a fine artist or simply a keen employer of emojis, there are times when an image says it all. This desire for artistic expression runs deep within the human consciousness and can be traced back across the millennia to a time when humans lived in caves and killed animals with their bare hands. The rock art of the Iberian Peninsula is testament to this and also to the lifestyle of our predecessors. From Granada to the Pyrenees, there are 757 rock art sites that date from between 10,000BC and 3,500BC, 50 of which lie within Catalunya. Collectively, they form a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as ‘Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin’, and are the best insight we have into how our ancestors lived and thought. Through this imagery we can learn about myths, hunting rituals, beliefs about the afterlife, war strategies, political structures and internal hierarchies, proving that art is a universal language that crosses cultural barriers, and can communicate with future generations.

ULLDECONA (Tarragona)

The Serra de Godall mountains, near the town of Ulldecona and the Valencian border, boast an impressive 386 figures distributed across 14 rock shelters, the first of which was found in 1975 by a young speleologist (a cave specialist). This area is considered to be the best place to view rock art in Catalunya for the extraordinary number of preserved paintings and the diversity of the representations. Over half of the paintings depict archers or various animal species, while the rest are mainly hunting-related (footprints, animal prints, arrows etc.). Due to the iconography present, and the natural refuge provided by the rock shelters (shallow, cave-like formations), experts have deduced that the groups responsible for the paintings would have been hunter-gatherers, rather than those who relied on agriculture. From examining the different species of animals represented, the images are thought to have been created between 7,000 and 2,000BC. The imagery is mainly Levantine—a style of painting characterised by human and animal forms portrayed in moments of drama, thought to date from the Neolithic period (10,000-5,500BC). This eventually led to the Iberian Schematic style, which is more abstract. Examples of the latter can be seen in the ‘Dark Cave’ at Ulldecona. In general, cave paintings indicate that a site was once an important gathering place where rituals were performed. The images also give us a glimpse into the collective imagination of the time, as they include representations of mythic hunting tales, legendary characters and gods.

LES MUNTANYES DE PRADES (Tarragona)

The sweeping peaks and gullies of the Prades mountain range provide the stunning backdrop for 15 rock art sites. The art clusters, dating from 9,000-2,000BC, are mainly schematic representations. However, two of them—the Mas d’en Llort and Mas d’en Ramon d’en Bessó—are in the more naturalistic Levantine style, showing representations of hunting as well as human figures.

ROCA DELS MOROS DEL COGUL (Lleida)

The area around the county of Les Garrigues has been continuously inhabited by humans since the Paleolithic period. It’s no surprise, therefore, that they’ve left their mark. This is a site where we can connect with millennia of humans and try to interpret the messages that they left. The first group were the last of the hunter-gatherers, whose Levantine paintings date from 8,000 to 5,000BC, while the second group’s Schematic drawings date from 5,000 to 1,000BC. There are Iberian and Roman inscriptions mixed in amongst the older paintings, proving that the rock shelters have been in constant use throughout history. The Roca dels Moros features a mixture of paintings and rock carvings and is the site of the famous (and somewhat amusing) ‘Phallic Dance’—an image of women in long skirts and naked bodies, grouped around a man with exaggerated genitalia—which identifies the rock shelter as a place of worship.

ELS VILARS (Lleida)

This small cave tucked into the mountains to the west of Os de Balaguer has also been in use for thousands of years. Its smoke-blackened ceiling stands as testament to the cave’s historic role as a shelter to shepherds, though it is also the reason why the 4,000-year-old rock paintings lay undiscovered until 1970, when one was spotted beneath the soot. The clean up that followed revealed a total of 28 images adorning the 60-square-metre cave. Three images have been identified as particularly significant. One represents a typical Levantine dance scene, in which a man has his arms draped around the waists of two women. Another depicts a hunting scene incorporating a variety of animals, including goats, wolves and foxes. The third is a schematic image that appears to be a tribute to the sun. The cave is worth a visit if only for the stunning views across the River Farfanya valley.

FACTFILE

ULLDECONA. A historic town in the south of Catalunya with a quaint old quarter, several Modernista buildings and a tourist office housed in a former olive oil mill.  

Getting there

Visiting the rock art sites

Sleeping

Nearby attractions

EL COGUL. A tiny village with just 200 inhabitants, located 22 kilometres south of Lleida. El Cogul boasts houses dating from the 16th and 17th century and a Renaissance-style church.

Getting there

Visiting the rock art sites

Nearby attractions

Sleeping

MONTBLANC. A medieval walled town in the Muntanyes de Prades region with a charming and well-preserved historic quarter.

Getting there

Visiting the rock art sites

Nearby attractions

Sleeping

OS DE BALAGUER. A small town that sits on the River Segre, Os de Balaguer has a winding medieval quarter complete with city walls. The town was the birthplace of Gaspar de Portolá (1716-1784), explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey.

Getting there

Visiting the rock art sites

Nearby attractions

Sleeping

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