Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula

The Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula is a serial set of prehistoric rock paintings and shelters distributed across eastern Spain, notable for naturalistic human figures, hunting scenes and narrative compositions that occupy sheltered cliff faces and caves.

The corpus comprises many panels and shelters located from the Mediterranean coast inland across several provinces, illustrating a consistent artistic tradition often called Levantine or Iberian Mediterranean rock art. Paintings commonly depict groups of human figures, animals and scenes of daily and ritual activity rendered in painted pigments on rock surfaces.

Researchers interpret the paintings as expressions of social, symbolic and economic life in prehistoric Iberia; the panels were recorded and studied across the 20th century and form a major body of European prehistoric cave and rock art.

Sites are scattered along the eastern Iberian Mediterranean corridor, in semi-arid and rocky landscapes, and are accessed from local towns and protected archaeological areas.

• Use the local interpretation or visitor centre for the specific Valencian-area panels you plan to see - many Iberian rock-art sites are fragile, spread out and best reached with a site map or guided visit.
• Plan visits for morning or late afternoon to avoid peak heat and preserve visibility of faint paintings; midsummer noon sun both fades pigments visually and concentrates visitors at the most famous shelters.
• Check in advance whether the individual shelter requires pre-booking or guided access - many component sites of the transnational property have limited access and on-site information is uneven, so local tourist offices will point you to lesser-known panels.