🧭 Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula
Barranc de les Coves – Abric III, Spain
📋 Fast Facts
- Located in eastern Spain within the Mediterranean drainage zone, featuring limestone rock shelters and ravines
- Dated to the Epipaleolithic and early Neolithic periods, approximately 8000–3500 BCE
- Executes in red and dark reddish-brown iron oxide pigments in Levantine rock art style
- Part of a serial UNESCO property comprising more than 700 prehistoric rock art sites across eastern Spain
Abric III is a shallow limestone rock shelter within the Barranc de les Coves system in the eastern Iberian Peninsula, containing painted figures that exemplify Levantine rock art traditions. The term "barranc" designates a steep-sided ravine carved by seasonal water flow, while "abric" refers to a natural rock shelter rather than a deep cave. The shelter's placement provided both natural protection from weather and commanding visibility over the surrounding terrain, suggesting deliberate ...