| Ambrosio Cave | |
|---|---|
| Cueva de Ambrosio | |
 A cave painting of a horse in red ochre | |
 Interactive map of Ambrosio Cave | |
| Location | Spain |
| World Heritage site | 1998 |
TheAmbrosio Cave Natural Monument (inSpanish:Cueva de Ambrosio) is aNatural Monument located in theProvince of Almería,Spain. This archaeological site is situated at the northern edge of theVélez-Blanco municipality and is classified among theNatural Monuments of Andalusia [es].[1] It protects the surroundings of the Ambrosio cave, a rock shelter measuring 38 meters wide, 18 meters high, and up to 17 meters deep,[2] where remains from thePaleolithic period have been found. The shelter opens onto a nearly 100-meter-high cliff, oriented east-west above the Moral stream, and is formed bylimestone from the upperBurdigalian to lowerLanghian geological stages.[3] It is one of the most significant Paleolithic sites in southeasternIberia due to its extensivestratigraphy, which documents layers from theUpper Paleolithic, including theSolutrean period, through theEpipaleolithic andNeolithic periods, up to recent prehistory.[3][4] The cultural sequence from the Upper Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic is particularly noteworthy.
The shelter has been designated aWorld Heritage Site since 1998 as part of theRock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula (ref. 874-069).[5]
Known since the early 20th century and extensively studied as an archaeological site through numerous campaigns, the cave’s parietal art was not discovered until the 1990s. In recent years, significant Paleolithic engravings and rock paintings have been uncovered. A particularly important discovery occurred in 1992, revealing numerous artistic expressions, both engraved and painted, grouped into three panels. Panel I is located in the outer area of the shelter, on the same wall, 4.5 meters from the entrance. It consists of exclusively incised representations, totaling five figures: a fusiform bird, a right-facing equid with a nearly right-angled cervico-dorsal line, and two less-defined equids.[3][6]
Panel II, located further inside, was hidden beneath a thick layer of intact sediment and blocks from uncontrolled excavations. It features a complex set of engraved lines and two red patches. A standout feature is a splendid painted horse (92 cm by 37 cm from the ears to the chest line, and 53 cm wide from the hindquarters to the rear). The head shows one ear and a fragment of the other, with a jawline inflection that does not fully take on the characteristic duck-bill shape. The rear part of the front leg, the belly line, and the hindquarters are missing. In the upper corner of the panel, two engraved horseprotomes facing each other have been identified, along with another finely engraved horse representation. Additionally, traces of three other horse heads and some black patches are present.[4][6]
Panel III is located on a heavily weathered whitish surface and contains three faded pictorial groups of limited representativeness.[6]
The site’s boundaries are defined by the walls of the shelter, which opens east-west in its southern part above the Moral stream.[3] The site is enclosed by a protective fence situated on the escarpment overlooking the stream.
This article incorporates material from the Resolution of May 21, 1986, of the Directorate General of Fine Arts, which agreed to initiate the procedure for declaring an archaeological zone as a cultural heritage site in favor of the Cueva de Ambrosio, located in the municipality of Vélez-Blanco (Almería), published in BOJA No. 61 on April 24, 2006, which is in the public domain.
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| Other | |
37°49′56″N2°05′48″W / 37.8323°N 2.0967°W /37.8323; -2.0967
