The natural and archaeological context
Let us take a look at the geographical setting to learn more about know the landscape surrounding Roca dels Moros, outlining the main rock traditions that are represented there and exploring the archaeological context of the area.
Roca dels Moros stone block, 2019
Author: Albert Rubio
The village of El Cogul and Roca dels Moros rock art site, 2022
Author: Albert Rubio
El Cogul is a municipality located in the western part of the county of Les Garrigues. The harsh, craggy landscape of this area is dominated by the cultivation of arbequina olive trees and almond trees on terraces. It is also dotted with small hills, such as Tossal de les Forques (352m), located to the east of El Cogul.
Aerial view of El Cogul and surroundings of Roca dels Moros
© Agència Catalana del Patrimoni Cultural
The Set River passes through the municipality of El Cogul, originating from seven springs in the Llena mountain range, in Sant Miquel de la Tosca, and flowing into the Segre River near Sudanell.
As it runs through Les Garrigues, it passes a diverse, unique and highly attractive terrain that is promoted as a tourist brand as part of the Natural Spaces of Ponent.
Aerial view of the passage of the Set River through El Cogul and Roca dels Moros
© Agència Catalana del Patrimoni Cultural
Valleys, hills and plateaus bordered by streams characterise the central and northwestern area of Les Garrigues. The pre-coastal mountain ranges separate the county from the coast.
Natural surroundings of Roca dels Moros
Author: Albert Rubio
It is specifically in these adjoining areas where so-called Levantine and schematic rock art of the Mediterranean façade of the Iberian Peninsula, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is located. Nearly a thousand rock shelters and walls with paintings on the coastline form an open-air art gallery.
Area of extension of the Levantine and schematic rock art of the Mediterranean façade of the Iberian Peninsula, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Authors: Albert Rubio and Ramón Viñas
Restoring a social scene from Roca dels Moros rock art site
© Agència Catalana del Patrimoni Cultural
Levantine art, is an art that speaks to us about the worldview of the people who created it in prehistoric times through various social, mythical and ritual scenes, in which human figures for the very first time acquire a special role. The images are painted with realistic figurative features using red, brown, black and white mineral pigments.
There are currently various hypotheses regarding the dating of Levantine art: it is thought to have originated either in the last hunter-gatherer communities of the Epipalaeolithic or is in fact a fully Neolithic style.
Roca dels Moros is one of the most outstanding examples of Levantine art because of its subject matter.
Drawings of figures from Levantine art by Francisco Jordà Cerdá 1975, published in La sociedad en el arte rupestre levantino (Society in Levantine Rock Art)
The mural at El Cogul also bears witness to the coexistence of Levantine art with schematic art, as well as the cultural syncretism that occurred during the Neolithic process.
Hunting scene with schematic figures
© Agència Catalana del Patrimoni Cultural
Schematic art dates from the Neolithic period and developed during the Metal Age. It is a very widespread pictorial art on the Iberian Peninsula, displaying various regional styles. The paintings are usually simple, depicting human and animal figures as well as abstract elements and geometric figures.
Drawings of rock paintings of schematic art, published by the Servei d’Arqueologia 1994, in theInventari del patrimoni arqueològic de Catalunya: Corpus de pintures rupestres, volum II.
General view of the rock shelter, 2021
© Agència Catalana del Patrimoni Cultural
A total of 52 painted images, 11 groupings of engravings and more than 250 characters in Iberian and Latin inscriptions have been documented in the mural. The entire frieze is located inside a cavity in a large open-air block, covering a width of about 3 metres and a height of 2 metres.
There are many archaeological sites and evidence within a radius of between 8 and 10 hours on foot, indicating significant human activity in the area from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Roman period. This information corroborates the fact that the area has been continuously inhabited since prehistoric times.
Archaeological materials from the collection of Ramon Huguet, 1882 – 1929
© Arxiu Fotogràfic Centre Excursionista de Catalunya
Author: unknown
The most relevant characteristic of Roca dels Moros is that it includes graphic and symbolic expressions from an extremely wide-ranging chronological spectrum, thereby making it an exceptional site.
Aerial view of Roca dels Moros rock art site
© Agència Catalana del Patrimoni Cultural