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Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain

2008 establishments in SpainArt of the Upper PaleolithicCave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern SpainCaves of CantabriaGreen Spain
Landforms of AsturiasLandforms of the Basque Country (autonomous community)Limestone cavesPaleolithic EuropePrehistoric sites in SpainProtected areas of AsturiasRock art in SpainShow caves in SpainTourist attractions in AsturiasTourist attractions in the Basque Country (autonomous community)World Heritage Sites in Spain
Techo de Altamira (replica) Museo Arqueológico Nacional
Techo de Altamira (replica) Museo Arqueológico Nacional

The Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain (Cueva de Altamira y arte rupestre paleolítico del Norte de España) is a grouping of 18 caves of northern Spain, which together represent the apogee of Upper Paleolithic cave art in Europe between 35,000 and 11,000 years ago (Aurignacian, Gravettian, Solutrean, Magdalenian, Azilian). In 2008, they were collectively designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Chief among these caves is Altamira, located within the town of Santillana del Mar in Cantabria. It remains one of the most important painting cycles of prehistory, originating in the Magdalenian and Solutrean periods of the Upper Paleolithic. This cave's artistic style represents the Franco-cantabrian school, characterized by the realism of its figural representation. Altamira Cave was declared a World Heritage Site in 1985. In 2008, the World Heritage Site was expanded to include 17 additional caves located in three autonomous communities of northern Spain: Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain
Acceso a las Cuevas de Altamira,

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N 43.3774 ° E -4.1225 °
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Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigación de Altamira (Museo de Altamira)

Acceso a las Cuevas de Altamira
39330
Cantabria, Spain
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call+34942818005

Website
culturaydeporte.gob.es

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Techo de Altamira (replica) Museo Arqueológico Nacional
Techo de Altamira (replica) Museo Arqueológico Nacional
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Cave of Altamira
Cave of Altamira

The Cave of Altamira ( AL-tə-MEER-ə; Spanish: Cueva de Altamira [ˈkweβa ðe altaˈmiɾa]) is a cave complex, located near the historic town of Santillana del Mar in Cantabria, Spain. It is renowned for prehistoric cave art featuring charcoal drawings and polychrome paintings of contemporary local fauna and human hands. The earliest paintings were applied during the Upper Paleolithic, around 36,000 years ago. The site was discovered in 1868 by Modesto Cubillas and subsequently studied by Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola.Aside from the striking quality of its polychromatic art, Altamira's fame stems from the fact that its paintings were the first European cave paintings for which a prehistoric origin was suggested and promoted. Sautuola published his research with the support of Juan de Vilanova y Piera in 1880, to initial public acclaim. However, the publication of Sanz de Sautuola's research quickly led to a bitter public controversy among experts, some of whom rejected the prehistoric origin of the paintings on the grounds that prehistoric human beings lacked sufficient ability for abstract thought. The controversy continued until 1902, by which time reports of similar findings of prehistoric paintings in the Franco-Cantabrian region had accumulated and the evidence could no longer be rejected.Altamira is located in the Franco-Cantabrian region and in 1985 was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO as a key location of the Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain. The cave can no longer be visited, for conservation reasons, but there are replicas of a section at the site and elsewhere.