Prehistoric Rock Art Sites in the Côa Valley and Siega Verde
The essentially anthropomorphic and zoomorphic designs included horses identifiable by their characteristic manes, aurochs with mouths and nostrils detailed, and deer.
[7][8][9] Later, António Martinho Baptista would determine that Iron Age carvings corresponded to works by Celtic-Iberian tribes, specifically the Medobrigenais or Zoilos.
[7] However, following the original discovery of rock art, an archaeologist had been investigating the Côa valley under the direction of the national energy company (Energias de Portugal – EDP) and the agency responsible for architectural heritage (Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico – IPPAR).
[7] Archaeologist Nélson Rabanda, studying the site under an agreement between EDP and IPPAR, reported the case to the press and other organizations interested in prehistoric art and heritage, such as UNESCO.
The UNESCO reports were not unanimous on whether the power plant should be cancelled; Clottes, the head of prehistoric department, noted that rising water may protect the engravings from vandalism, but also confirmed that Coa Valley "is the biggest open air site of palaeolithic art in Europe, if not in the world".
[11] The Portuguese government's insistence in proceeding with the dam project led to mounting political scandal and pressure from the international community.
[11] Meanwhile, after the visit by the UNESCO delegation, IPPAR created an international scientific commission to accompany the study of the art in the Côa valley.
[11] EDP was also helped by the direct dating controversy; Robert Bednarik and Alan Watchman, in addition to Fred Phillips and Ronald Dorn, used an unproven methodology to affirm that the carvings were not Palaeolithic.
The National Centre for Aquatic and Subaquatic Archaeology (Portuguese: Centro Nacional de Arqueologia Náutica e Subaquática/CNANS) opened in August 1996.
[11][13][14] In 2003, a study analysed the viability of introducing the Przewalski horse in the area, a species related to those portrayed in the Paleolithic rock art.
More excavations were done in Fariseu from 19 September to October 2005, under the direction of Thierry Aubry, who discovered several slabs of schist (10 x 20 centimetres) dating to the Paleolithic.
[16] The conference examined the relationships between heritage, human development, natural environment and building preservation, and promoted significant discussion, organized by the Portuguese Ministry of Culture.
The lower portion of Côa River Valley runs south to north, at about 130 metres above sea level, spread over an area of 17 km2 (6.6 sq mi).
The watercourse is flanked by rolling/undulating hills, surrounded by rare species of river brush, vineyards, olive and almond trees, with the higher areas occupied by pasture and fields.
In addition, five sites are located along other tributaries of the Douro River, spread in three different nuclei: Faia, Quinta da Barca and Penacosa, along the mouth of the Ribeira de Piscos, in an area of 20,000 hectares.
[4][6] There are also representations of fish, intermediary animals, along with a small group of geometric or abstract shapes (including lines and symbols in Penascosa and Canada do Inferno).
[4][6] In one of the rarer depictions, there is a solitary anthropomorphic figure with a phallus, dating to the Magdalenense period in the Ribeira de Piscos site.
[6] Other groups of carvings in Vale Cabrões and Faia, dating from the Epipaleolithic and Neolithic, include zoomorphic designs, also painted with ocre.
Siega Verde (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsjeɣa ˈβeɾðe]; 40°41′51″N 6°39′40″W / 40.69750°N 6.66111°W / 40.69750; -6.66111) is an archaeological site in Serranillo, Villar de la Yegua, province of Salamanca, in Castile and León, Spain.
