The rugged landscapes around the city of Valencia in Spain have recently been discovered to hide a thousand-year-old secret – a kind of ancient 'museum' carved into the stone walls of Cuba (or Cuaba, in some dialects) Dunes, a vast cave about half a kilometer long. We used ChatGPT to learn a little about this amazing discovery:
The cave itself, located in the Millares district, has been known to locals for generations, and over the years quite a few finds from the Iron Age have been found there. However, in 2021, paintings from the period were discovered on the walls of the cave for the first time, and now, after further research, it turns out that this is one of the largest and oldest collections of paintings in the world.
Initially, the researchers discovered four painted motifs, including an impressive portrait of Orox, an extinct species of cattle. But when they delved into their findings in 2023, what they uncovered was nothing short of amazing: The cave, they realized, is an ancient Paleolithic art collection, dating back at least 24,000 years, where our ancestors left their mark in the form of no less than 110 intricate works of art using various artistic techniques. It may be the cave with the most Stone Age motifs in all of Europe, surpassing a previous discovery from 2015, when researchers found about 70 cave paintings dating back 14,500 years in northern Spain's Basque Country.
The significance of this discovery lies not only in its age, but also in its uniqueness; Spain boasts an impressive variety of Paleolithic cave art sites, including the renowned cave art at La Cueva de Altamira, which dates back up to 36,000 years. However, most of these sites are concentrated in the north of the country, while Quba Donas is in eastern Iberia.
In a study published in the journal Antiquity, the research team carefully documented a wide range of art, including portraits of animals such as horses, female red deer (cuttings), orroces and reindeer. On the walls of the cave there are also rectangular-shaped markings, isolated lines and shallow groove lines, formed by dragging fingers or tools across a soft surface.
What distinguishes this art is the use of iron-rich red clay – a rare technique in Paleolithic art. Aitor Ruiz-Redondo, a senior lecturer in prehistory, explained that "animals and signs were described simply by dragging their fingers and palms covered with clay across the walls." The moist environment of the cave played a crucial role in preserving these ancient masterpieces, ensuring that they survive to this day.
The researchers note that the "rich graphic assemblage" inside the cave is still in the early stages of research; Many other areas of the cave await further exploration, and countless parts have yet to be documented. The journey to Spain's ancient 'museum' promises further discoveries and insights into the lives and artistic expressions of our Paleolithic ancestors.
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