Cultural
Sites d’art rupestre préhistorique de la vallée de Côa et de Siega Verde
Photo : Reino Baptista (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Located in the Iberian Peninsula along the Côa Valley in Portugal and the Siega Verde valley in Spain, this site comprises a series of rock art concentrations that represent outstanding examples of prehistoric artistic expression. The sites contain numerous engravings and paintings created during the Upper Paleolithic period, demonstrating the technical skills and cultural sophistication of hunter-gatherer societies. The rock art is distributed across multiple locations featuring schist outcrops and granite formations that served as natural canvases for these ancient artistic endeavors. The engravings, executed through pecking and incision techniques, depict primarily animal figures alongside abstract geometric patterns, providing significant insight into the symbolic and possibly spiritual dimensions of prehistoric life. The combination of open-air rock art sites across both Spain and Portugal reflects the continuity of artistic traditions across the Iberian region during the Paleolithic era. The preservation of these archaeological sites and their accessibility make them valuable resources for understanding the development of human artistic expression in European prehistory.
