For decades, Cova de la Font Major has been a tourist destination in northeastern Spain. Despite all the visitors who have passed through the cave, only now are archaeologists revealing its secret: hundreds of stunning ice age rock engravings, including a rare depiction of a bear.

In a new study published in the journal Antiquity this week, researchers describe the discovery of 280 Paleolithic engravings at the large, underground cave in Espluga de Francolí, Spain. The cave was first excavated in 1957—since then thousands of people have likely been in it, and some even graffitied the walls without realizing they were disturbing ice age art, the researchers say.

The find is among the largest collections of cave art on the Iberian Peninsula. The engravings include 55 animal figures such as horses, deer and at least one bear, as well as less recognizable forms, such as parallel lines and an unusual group of loops.

On supporting science journalism

If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

It’s unclear how the engravings went so long without being noticed. In a dark cave, it may have been harder to spot the etchings than other forms of rock art such as paintings, says Míriam Salas-Altès, a co-author of the paper and a Ph.D. student at University of Rovira i Virgili and the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES-CERCA), both in Spain.

Even wearing a helmet with a forward-facing light might not fully illuminate markings either. And the walls are “full” of graffiti, Salas-Altès says. To the untrained eye, Paleolithic engravings may have been difficult to differentiate from modern markings, she adds.

This type of cave art is also rare for this part of Spain. Before now, most Paleolithic cave art in the area has been found in the Franco-Cantabrian region, an area spanning the border of Spain and France. Just two cave figures had previously been found in Catalonia, Salas-Altès says.

“It was a big surprise,” she says.

Today tourists’ access to the cave has been limited to protect the engravings, which were first discovered in 2019.

Salas-Altès hopes to continue working to decipher the 280 engravings, as well as to understand the history of human presence in the cave. It’s unclear whether early humans used this cave simply for shelter, ritual practices or something else, she says.

And there may be more engravings to find—some galleries within Cova de la Font Major, for instance, have been filled with sediment over the years, Salas-Altès says, and opening them up could reveal even more rock art.

Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism

Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.

When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.

Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber