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15,000-Year-Old 'Ice Age' Rock Paintings of Extinct Megafauna Discovered in Spain's Cantabrian Mountains

📅 April 8, 2026 📰 The Iberian Archaeology Journal
15,000-Year-Old 'Ice Age' Rock Paintings of Extinct Megafauna Discovered in Spain's Cantabrian Mountains

Speleologists in Spain have discovered a hidden gallery of rock art deep within a cave system in the Cantabrian Mountains. The paintings, created using red ochre and charcoal, depict extinct megafauna such as the woolly rhinoceros and the giant deer, dating back to the late Pleistocene epoch.

The stylistic consistency and the use of natural rock contours to give a 3D effect to the animals suggest a high level of artistic sophistication among the hunter-gatherers of the region. This site is being hailed as one of the most significant Ice Age discoveries in Europe in decades.

Original source: The Iberian Archaeology Journal