The Roca dels Moros or Caves of El Cogul is a rock shelter containing paintings of prehistoric Levantine rock art and

Iberian schematic art Iberian schematic art is the name given to a series of prehistoric representations (almost always cave paintings) that appear in the Iberian peninsula, which are associated with the first metallurgical cultures (the Copper Age, the Bronze Age ...

. The site is in El Cogul, in the autonomous community of

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...

, Spain. Since 1998 the paintings have been protected as part of the

Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin The group of over 700 sites of prehistoric Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin, also known as Levantine art, were collectively declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998. The sites are in the eastern part of Spain and contain rock ...

, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. Inscriptions in

Northeastern Iberian script The northeastern Iberian script, also known as Levantine Iberian or Iberian, was the main means of written expression of the Iberian language. The language is also expressed by the southeastern Iberian script and the Greco-Iberian alphabet ...

and in Latin alphabet indicate that the place was used as a sanctuary into Iberian and Roman times.The rock paintings of El Cogul
Retrieved 2020-05-13.

Location, discovery

The paintings were discovered in 1908 by the el Cogul village rector, Ramon Huguet, and a report was published in the same year. Since 1998 the paintings have been protected as part of a

(reference 874). Inscriptions in

and in Latin alphabet, one of which is an

ex-voto An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity; the term is usually restricted to Christian examples. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude o ...

, indicate that the use of the caves as a sanctuary extended to Iberian and Roman times.

The Dancers of Cogul

At Roca dels Moros there are forty-five figures depicted, of which thirty-eight are painted bright red, black and dark red, seven are engraved in stone. A dance scene is the most famous of the painting. This scene is interpreted as nine women (something new in Spanish caves' painting at the age). The figures, believed to be women, are painted in black and others in red. They dance around what it looks to be a small/short black male figure/figurine at the center right of the composition with an abnormally large phallus, 'but also has anatomical oddities in its lower limbs that can throw the identification into doubt.' Along with the figures of the women, there are several animals. Currently, different interpretations have been given as an alternative to the dancers with the purpose of celebrating a mere reproductive ceremony. These can perfectly be women with certain social status gathering to socialize, with their children in a meeting place. These women show friendship and affection toward each other. The past is female."

Conservation

Conservation work has been carried out on the paintings under the auspices of the Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya. There is now a visitors centre to interpret the site and to promote Cogul in the context of a "route of rock art", linking it to similar sites in Catalonia.Interpretation Centre of the Roca dels Moros
(cogul.rupestre.org)

The Saladar tombs

Near the paintings is a cemetery with tombs carved into the rock called ''Saladar tombs''. File:CovesCogul1.jpg, The visitors center File:CovesCogul2.jpg, Cave painting of women with animals File:CovesCogul3.jpg, Inscriptions in Iberian script and Iberian schematic paintings File:tombesSaladar.jpg, The Saladar tombs

References

Bibliography

* Volume I of the ''Història de Catalunya'' directed by Pierre Vilar: ''Prehistòria i història antiga'', Joan Maluquer de Motes. * Anna Alonso Tejada, Alexandre Grimal Navarro (2007): ''L´Art Rupestre del Cogul. Primeres Imatges Humanes a Catalunya'', Pagès Editors, Lleida, . * Alexandre GRIMAL, Anna ALONSO (2007): ''Catálogo de Cataluña, Cuenca, Albacete, Guadalajara y Andalucía'' ("Catalogue of Catalonia, Cuenca, Albacete, Guadalajara and Andalucia") from ''Catálogo del Arte Rupestre Prehistórico de la Península Ibérica y de la España Insular. Arte Levantino'' ("Catalogue of prehistoric rock art of the Iberian Peninsula and the Spanish Islands. Levantine Art"), Real Academia de Cultura Valenciana, Archaeological Series, nº 22, Valencia, I-II Vols, pp. 113–252 (Vol I), pp. 41–85 (Vol II). . * Anna ALONSO TEJADA, Alexandre GRIMAL (2003): ''L´art rupestre prehistòric a la comarca de les Garrigues'', III Trobada d´Estudiosos de la Comarca de les Garrigues, Ajuntament de Cervià de les Garrigues (Lleida), pp. 17–25.

External links

Les pintures i grabats del Cogul
Archaeology Museum of Catalonia - Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roca Dels Moros Prehistoric sites in Spain Archaeological sites in Catalonia Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin World Heritage Sites in Spain Rock shelters Caves of Spain