Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin
Location of sites belonging to the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula.
|
|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
| Location |
Spain 
|
| Criteria | iii |
| Reference | 874 |
| Coordinates | 39°47′24″N 1°02′00″W / 39.79°N 1.0333°W |
| Inscription | 1998 (22nd Session) |
 Location of Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin
|
|
|
[]
|
|
The group of over 700 sites of prehistoric Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin, also known as Levantine art, were collectively declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998. The sites are in the eastern part of Spain and contain rock art dating to the Upper Paleolithic or (more likely) Mesolithic periods of the Stone Age. The art consists of small painted figures of humans and animals, which are the most advanced and widespread surviving from this period, certainly in Europe, and arguably in the world, at least in the earlier works. It is notable for the number of places included, the largest concentration of such art in Europe. Its name refers to the Mediterranean Basin; however, while some sites are located near the sea, many of them are inland in Aragon and Castile-La Mancha; it is also often referred to as Levantine Art (meaning "from Eastern Spain", not the Levant region).
There has been much debate over the dating of Levantine paintings, and whether they belong to the Mesolithic, the end of the Paleolithic, or the Neolithic; they clearly represent a very different style from the much more famous Art of the Upper Paleolithic in caves on either side of the Pyrenees, but yet may well show continuity with it. According to UNESCO, the oldest art in the World Heritage Site is from 8,000 BC, and the most recent examples from around 3500 BC. The art therefore spans a period of cultural change. It reflects the life of people using primarily hunter-gatherer economic systems, "who gradually incorporated Neolithic elements into their cultural baggage". Later scenes show men leading horses, and some cattle shown may be domesticated. The chronology of Levantine Art overlaps with that of Iberian schematic art, and examples of both types of art can be found at some sites. Equally some sites continued to attract visitors in later periods, as shown by inscriptions in the Iberian language and Latin, for example at the Caves of El Cogul; these may have been associated with repainting of figures.
...
Wikipedia