Cave of Ardales

The Cave of Ardales (Cueva de Ardales) in Malaga province was revealed by an earthquake in 1821. It contains over 1,000 paintings and engravings on walls, ceilings, and speleothems, spanning approximately 50,000 years of human activity. The oldest art, consisting of abstract red ochre marks and hand stencils, dates to over 65,000 years ago and was created by Neanderthals, making it among the earliest known symbolic art in Europe. Later figurative animal paintings were added by Homo sapiens from around 35,000 years ago through the Chalcolithic period.