A cave in eastern Spain is helping researchers gain a deeper understanding of how prehistoric societies interacted with the subterranean world. Located in Millares, Valencia, Cova Dones continues to yield new archaeological evidence in Spain that sheds light on both symbolic behavior and daily life in ancient times.
Archaeologists from the University of Alicante and the University of Zaragoza recently uncovered more than 100 altered stalagmites inside the cave.
These formations, known as speleofacts, were intentionally broken, moved, or arranged by humans to form structures. Their presence points to a deliberate and organized use of the cave environment by early inhabitants.
Un equipo de arqueólogos identifica más de un centenar de espeleofactos, es decir, formaciones de estalagmitas modificadas intencionadamente por la acción humana.
— EFE C. Valenciana (@EFE_CValenciana) June 2, 2025
Some of the speleofacts show signs of calcite buildup, suggesting that the modifications occurred in prehistoric times. A complete scientific investigation is currently underway to confirm the exact age of these changes and to map their extent.
The researchers aim to determine whether these structures were used for shelter, ritual activity, or other forms of social organization.
The find places Cova Dones among the world’s most significant archaeological caves of its kind, second only to France’s Saint-Marcel cave.
Experts say the discoveries could offer insights comparable to those from Bruniquel Cave in France, where similar altered stalagmites helped confirm Neanderthal use of underground spaces.
The 2024 discovery of the first speleofacts at Cova Dones brought in postdoctoral researcher Iñaki Intxaurbe Alberdi, an expert in cave formation and human interaction with karst environments.
These formations will now be analyzed further using geological, archaeological, and dating methods to build a clearer picture of their origin and purpose.
The cave has become a site of growing interest due to a string of major findings. In 2023, the academic journal Antiquity reported that Cova Dones houses the largest collection of Paleolithic rock art on the eastern Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. More than 100 paintings and engravings, believed to be around 24,000 years old, were documented.
Archaeologists have unveiled a significant Palaeolithic art sanctuary in eastern Spain, featuring over 100 ancient works dating back at least 24,000 years. Discovered in 2021 in a cave in Cova Dones near Valencia, these paintings and engravings, represent a variety of animals,… pic.twitter.com/JUxWVoHlAP
— Hadara Magazine (@HadaraMagazine) March 17, 2024
Later that year, researchers discovered a Roman sanctuary deep within the cave. The site contained several inscriptions and a coin bearing the image of Emperor Claudius, offering further evidence of the cave’s continued use across different periods.
The archaeological project is led by Dr. Virginia Barciela González from the University of Alicante’s Institute for Research in Archaeology and Historical Heritage, and Dr. Aitor Ruiz-Redondo of the University of Zaragoza’s Environmental Sciences Research Institute. Their work falls under the DONARQ project.
A multidisciplinary team supports the campaign. Experts in prehistoric art, Roman epigraphy, geomatics, and taphonomy collaborate to uncover the cave’s layered history.
