Archaeologists have recorded 280 Ice Age engravings, including 55 animal figures, at Cova de la Font Major in Catalonia, revealing a major prehistoric art site in an area long thought to have little cave art.
The engravings were identified in 2019 in a gallery at the cave, near the town of l’Espluga de Francolí. A study describing them was published on November 5, 2026. Researchers also recorded marks that do not show recognizable figures.
These add to evidence of different kinds of artistic expression at the site. People have visited the cave for centuries. It became a tourist attraction in 1993.
Modern names and dates were scratched over some of the ancient markings. The discovery makes Font Major the third-largest known collection of Paleolithic cave art on the Mediterranean side of the Iberian Peninsula, based on the number of animal figures. Before the discovery, researchers knew of only two cave images in Catalonia that were attributed to the Paleolithic.
One of those images had an uncertain origin. The researchers say the engravings are different from art in the neighboring Franco-Cantabrian region. They say this suggests a separate regional art tradition.
Many designs are attributed to periods before the Magdalenian. However, the study does not give a precise date for every engraving.