Filling gaps: the Palaeolithic rock art of the Cova de la Font Major on the north-east Iberian Peninsula

Until recently, Palaeolithic parietal art was scarce in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula. An assemblage of engravings found within Cova de la Font Major in 2019, and described here, now calls this apparent artistic lacuna into question. Comprising 280 motifs, encompassing 55 zoomorphic figures and a range of non-figurative representations, the Font Major assemblage is positioned as one of the largest Palaeolithic cave art ensembles in the Iberian Mediterranean. Its recent discovery calls for a reconsideration of regional preconceptions, while the attribution of numerous representations to pre-Magdalenian phases establishes the site as a key reference for studying Palaeolithic symbolic expressions.

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Publication Details

Journal
Antiquity
Published
2026-11-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2026.10447
Primary Topic
Archaeology and Rock Art Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Filling gaps: the Palaeolithic rock art of the Cova de la Font Major on the north-east Iberian Peninsula

Josep María Vergès, Míriam Salas-Altès
Antiquity
Archaeology and Rock Art Studies
article

Filling gaps: the Palaeolithic rock art of the Cova de la Font Major on the north-east Iberian Peninsula

Josep María Vergès, Míriam Salas-Altès
article en

Abstract

Until recently, Palaeolithic parietal art was scarce in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula. An assemblage of engravings found within Cova de la Font Major in 2019, and described here, now calls this apparent artistic lacuna into question. Comprising 280 motifs, encompassing 55 zoomorphic figures and a range of non-figurative representations, the Font Major assemblage is positioned as one of the largest Palaeolithic cave art ensembles in the Iberian Mediterranean. Its recent discovery calls for a reconsideration of regional preconceptions, while the attribution of numerous representations to pre-Magdalenian phases establishes the site as a key reference for studying Palaeolithic symbolic expressions.

Antiquity
Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (ES), Universitat Rovira i Virgili (ES)
Openalex Percentile: Top 11%
Archaeology and Rock Art Studies
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