4. THE PALEOLITHIC PERIOD ON THE IBERIAN PENINSULA
Talking book
Weblink 7: Reconstructing Homo antecessor
The most important Lower Paleolithic site on the Iberian Peninsula and in the world is Atapuerca (Burgos) . Numerous remains of hominids, including the only known remains of Homo antecessor , have been discovered there.
During the Middle Paleolithic , the peninsula was inhabited by Neanderthals. Evidence of this has been found on the sites in Gibraltar and El Sidrón (Asturias) .
In the Upper Paleolithic , Homo sapiens produced the cave paintings in the Franco-Cantabrian region. The most famous ones are in the caves of El Castillo and Altamira (both in Cantabria), Tito Bustillo (Asturias) and Santimamiñe (the Basque Country).
During the Epipaleolithic , Levante cave painting developed along the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Examples include the paintings in Cogull (Lleida), Valltorta and Remigia cave (both in Castellón) and Araña caves (Valencia). This style continued to be used during the following period (the Neolithic), sometimes in the same caves.