Evaluation of the parietal graphic motifs from El Forcón Cave (A Fueba, Huesca): New Perspectives on the Palaeolithic Art in the Southern slope of the Central Pyrenees

Abstract

In 1976, a team led from the Museum of Huesca conducted a series of archaeological works in El Forcón Cave (San Juan de Toledo, A Fueba, Huesca). In addition to the recovery of several materials and prehistoric tools in a completely disturbed context, it was discovered the existence of parietal anthropic engravings. After the discovery of the Palaeolithic parietal site of Fuente del Trucho, also on the southern slope of the Central Pyrenees, and joined to the formal similarity of the El Forcón engravings with other Franco-Cantabrian ensembles, a Palaeolithic chronology was proposed for the ‘parietal art’ of this site. Since then, the scientific literature has included this ensemble in the inventory of cave art. Recently, we undertook a study of the graphical device –unrevised since its first publication–, to assess its potential and the arguments to establish a chronology. In this paper we discuss the evidence found and present the conclusions of the study. The most relevant is that the arguments do not support a Palaeolithic –or even a Prehistoric– chronology for the parietal motifs.

Keywords

• arte parietal
• norte peninsular
• grabados
• trazos digitales
• cronología.