Rock Paintings of Plano Pulido

About this heritage

The paintings of Plano del Pulido are classified within Levantine rock art, one of the most important artistic manifestations of the prehistoric Iberian Peninsula. Levantine art is spread throughout the eastern third of the Iberian Peninsula, with a chronology spanning from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic, that is, between 6,000 and 4,000 B.C.

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It is one of the best differentiated and known styles within the various manifestations of post-Paleolithic rock art. It is characterized by its location on the walls and occasionally ceilings of shelters and open-air caves, in interior areas and unique or highly beautiful rugged landscapes, in deep ravines or steep slopes.

Levantine paintings depict everyday scenes dominated by isolated human figures or alongside fauna (horses, bulls, deer, wild boars, goats, etc.). There are scenes related to hunting, agriculture, or war, alongside others of a ritual or religious nature, but always executed with great naturalism in colors such as red, black, white, and occasionally yellow.

In Aragón, Levantine rock art is especially located in the province of Teruel, where groups are found in the Sierra de Albarracín, Alto Maestrazgo, Alto Guadalope, Matarraña, Río Martín, and Bajo Aragón.

The shelter of Plano del Pulido and its rock paintings are protected by state legislation (Law 16/85, art. 40.2) and regional Law 3/1999, Second Additional Provision) at the highest level, as a Property of Cultural Interest. Its surroundings, where a prehistoric settlement related to the shelter's paintings is located, are also protected (Order of March 24, 2003. BOA 46 of 21-04-2003). Additionally, since 1998 it has been included in the World Heritage list, within the set of Rock Art of the Mediterranean Arc of the Iberian Peninsula.

Currently, the preserved paintings are concentrated in a cavity measuring 80 cm wide, 50 cm high, and 40 cm deep, although it seems that originally the painted panels also decorated the walls surrounding the shelter. Oriented to the Southwest, the panel features several representations of zoomorphic motifs, painted in red and executed with flat ink. The first study identified a total of five figures, although subsequent reviews, especially the one carried out by S. Melguizo, allow for the addition of more motifs.

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The rock paintings of Plano del Pulido are an invaluable testimony of prehistoric art on the Iberian Peninsula. Their study has allowed archaeologists and anthropologists to obtain crucial information about the social organization, beliefs, and daily practices of the communities that created them. Furthermore, these paintings are part of the rock art ensemble of the Mediterranean Arc of the Iberian Peninsula, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998.