Rock Art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998, comprising 758 prehistoric rock art sites across eastern Spain -- the largest group in Europe. Spanning six autonomous communities (Andalusia, Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Murcia, and Valencia), the paintings date from approximately 8000 to 3500 BC. Known as Levantine art, the works appear in shallow open-air shelters and depict scenes of daily life including hunting, battle, and dancing, with the human figure as a central subject -- rare in earlier Palaeolithic art. The art progresses from naturalistic to increasingly stylised forms, predominantly using red pigment. The collection documents the critical transition from hunter-gatherer to sedentary farming societies.