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NERJA CAVE
History of Nerja Cave
The history of Nerja Cave began millions of years ago. In fact, our ancestors already knew it: they lived in it, decorated it, and used it as a sacred burial place.
Evidence of all this has survived to the present day, making this cave a key for the study of our predecessors and their ways of life.
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Human occupation throughout the history of Nerja Cave
Nerja Cave was used and frequented by human groups during prehistory, from about 35,000 years ago to about 3,600 years ago, according to the information provided to date by archaeological excavations that reveal the history of Nerja Cave.
They used the cave as a shelter and a place of residence, where they could rest and carry out their daily activities. The deeper areas were used for creating cave paintings and engravings. It was also used as a burial site.
The earliest dated surface evidence reaches back to the Aurignacian period, around 35,000 years ago, a time of glacial conditions with climatic instability during which they produced laminar tools – such as scrapers or burins – and bone tools – to create elements like handles for these utensils.
The documented period of human occupation in the cave’s living areas spans from the Gravettian (29,940 to 28,580 cal. BP) to the Chalcolithic (4,830-3,600 cal. BP).
Findings that illustrate the history of Nerja Cave
Archaeological excavations in Nerja Cave began almost as soon as it was discovered, providing a wealth of information about its history and its inhabitants.
As a place of habitation, they carried out their daily activities there, such as the production of stone or bone tools, the creation of body ornaments, daily food preparation, and the processing of food for preservation. Traces of all these activities have been found.
They also created various cave paintings and engravings that can be seen at numerous points in the cave. In addition to the artistic expressions themselves, archaeological remains of the lighting methods they used have been discovered, such as small cupules where they placed resinous woods to create fire, which allowed them to illuminate the decorated areas.
Furthermore, our ancestors considered the cave a sacred place for burying their deceased, which is why skeletal remains and items used in funerary rituals have been found. This was primarily during the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and possibly into the early Bronze Age.
All these actions have left their mark on the cave, and thanks to archaeological excavations, they have come to light in our time. Many of these artifacts and discoveries can be seen at the Nerja Museum, which is included with the cave visit to enhance your understanding.
