Artistic Currents in Late Paleolithic Times: An Approach from the Northwest of Iberia

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Local and/or Exotic Interactions: Symbols, Materials, and Societies" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Traditionally, the distribution of Paleolithic art was limited to the so-called “Franco-Cantabrian area,” but the distribution of this graphic phenomenon has enlarged with the identification of new sites in different parts of the Iberian Peninsula. Previously, the northwest of Iberia, roughly delimited by the valleys of the Nalón and Duero Rivers, was considered an area lacking in artistic evidence. This view changed from with new discoveries in the 1980s—both on parietal and portable supports—thenceforward integrating this territory into the graphic dynamics of the Iberian Peninsula. The Cova Eirós site is the only cave with rock art in NW Iberia, with some representations that—according to the dates obtained and their stylistic characteristics—date to the end of the Late Paleolithic (Finipaleolithic) stages. Based on the analysis of a group of painted and engraved zoomorphs from this cave, our aim is to investigate the similarities and differences with other images from the northwest and beyond. By means of this approach, both the common features and the particularities observed in several sites will be assessed and the possible existence of contacts among different Paleolithic communities suggested.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Local and/or Exotic Interactions: Symbols, Materials, and Societies   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39289.0