Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Living Spaces at Portugal's Côa Valley Rock Art Site
New excavations reveal prehistoric hunter-gatherers lived and worked directly alongside their monumental rock art.
1Discovery at Penascosa Site
Archaeologists led by Thierry Aubry have uncovered stone bladelets at the Penascosa rock art site in Portugal. These razor-sharp tools, dating back 26,000 years, were found directly beside prehistoric engravings of aurochs. This discovery provides the first direct material evidence linking ancient tool manufacturing to the creation of open-air Palaeolithic rock art.
2Living Within the Art
Excavations revealed hearths and flaked tools within touching distance of engraved panels, suggesting prehistoric people lived inside the art. This challenges the long-held assumption that rock art was reserved for remote, sacred underground spaces. Instead, the findings indicate that these engravings were integrated into the daily lives of ancient hunter-gatherer communities.
3Social Aggregation and Exchange
The presence of flint sourced from central Spain and central Portugal, located hundreds of kilometres away, confirms the Côa valley was a hub for regional exchange. Researchers believe these sites served as social aggregation points where mobile bands of hunter-gatherers met periodically to interact, hunt, and share cultural information across vast distances.
4Multifunctional Symbolic Narratives
The rock art likely served dual purposes, acting as both a medium for transmitting mythology and a practical guide for hunting strategies. Engravings of aurochs calves, depicted at approximately six months of age, may have communicated seasonal animal behaviour. These images functioned as a shared code of representation for diverse groups of people.
5The Copernican Archaeological Shift
The Côa valley discovery triggered a significant shift in archaeology by proving that open-air rock art was a widespread phenomenon. Since the site's initial identification in 1991, similar engravings have been found across the Iberian peninsula and as far away as the Nile valley, suggesting that cave art was a marginal practice.
6Overcoming Excavation Challenges
For decades, experts doubted that occupation layers could survive at open-air river sites due to potential flooding. However, a 2025 test pit at Penascosa successfully unearthed fire-damaged rocks and stone tools. This breakthrough confirmed that human activity layers remained intact, allowing researchers to finally date the site's earliest phase of artistic production.
7Resilience of Open-Air Art
While most Palaeolithic art is found in caves, the Côa valley provides unique conditions for preservation. The region's dry climate and the resistance of local schist to erosion allowed these open-air motifs to survive for millennia. This site remains the largest collection of its kind in the world, spanning 17 kilometres of valley.
8Evolution of Human History
Digging through the site's layers, archaeologists traced human history from the Palaeolithic era through to Roman times. The discovery of buried schist slabs, which once formed a natural shelter, highlights how these spaces were continuously used. Unlike sealed caves, the Côa valley remained a dynamic stage for social dramas throughout ancient history.
9Redefining Ancient Human Spaces
The findings at Penascosa demand a shift in how archaeologists study ancient sites. Rather than viewing rock art as a distinct, isolated monument, experts must treat it as an integrated component of a living space. This perspective reveals that Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers were highly mobile, social, and deeply connected to their environment.