early human artistic activity

Homem de Piscos / Human Figure
(Ribeira de Piscos)



Cabra montês (pormenor)
Mountain goat (detail)
Rego da Vide

A concentration of rock carvings in the Coa valley, Portugal
(the oldest dated 25 000 BC) is according to the Unesco
"the most outstanding example of early human artistic activity in
this form anywhere in the world."

The carvings are found in the open air, not in caves as other
paintings in south of France and elsewhere. This has
made archeologists beleive that the cave paintings were
exceptions and the Coa way of exhibiting art was predominant.

Read more at the Unesco World Heritage site
and at the site of the Instituto Portugues de Arqueologia where
the pictures above where found (the site also in English)