Times of Execution, Transit and Use of the Palaeolithic Rock Art of the Cave of Altamira (Cantabria, Spain): A Case Study

A new archaeological study of the Cave of Altamira reveals that Palaeolithic rock art in a specific topographic area of the cave was not created as a single event but evolved over time through distinct phases of creation, use, and transit. By analyzing superpositions, formal characteristics, and AMS dating of associated archaeological evidence, researchers have reconstructed a detailed chronology of human interactions with the cave art, providing insights into its 'biography' during the Palaeolithic period.

Ibero, Á., García-Diez, M., Ochoa Fraile, B., Prada Freixedo, A., Díaz-González, L. M., De Las Heras Martín, C., Ordás Pastrana, D., López Calle, P., Sánchez-Moral, M. E., Carbonell, E., & Fatás Monforte, P. (2026). Times of Execution, Transit and Use of the Palaeolithic Rock Art of the Cave of Altamira (Cantabria, Spain): A Case Study. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959774326100511