You’re about to enter Roca dels Moros.
Here begins an exciting journey through time that will transport you back thousands of years.

In prehistoric times, men and women inhabited these lands and left messages inscribed in the stone.

Will we be able to understand and interpret the meaning of these messages?
Can we uncover why they chose this rock shelter as a space to come together and celebrate ceremonies?

Now we’re heading to the rock shelter, a shallow natural cave.

As we make our way, take in the scenery.
If you look around, you’ll see forests of holm oaks and oaks on the higher ground, and an undergrowth with shrubs such as kermes oak, hawthorn, Spanish broom, gorse and thyme.
This is typical vegetation of the dry Mediterranean climate inland.
If you’d like to learn more about these trees and shrubs, you can find information in your guide.

In this area, olive oil, almonds and wine are cultivated.
In fact, the olive is the most widely grown crop in the region.
Arbequina is the typical olive variety here.
Its small, round olive produces oil with low acidity, considered by experts to be one of the best.

About 500 metres from where you are, you can see the village of El Cogul.
It sits on a plateau on either side of the Set River.
Its economy is mainly based on agriculture, with almonds and arbequina olives being the most important crops.

El Cogul is a small village with around 170 inhabitants in the region of Les Garrigues, in the province of Lleida.

Would you like to see what El Cogul looks like? You’ll find some images in the guide.

The residents of El Cogul are part of a very ancient community, as these lands have been continuously inhabited since the Palaeolithic period.
In fact, within an area of about 50 kilometres, there are numerous archaeological sites with remains of ancient settlements.

During the Palaeolithic period, humans were nomadic, meaning they did not live in fixed locations.
They subsisted on animals they hunted as well as fruits and seeds they gathered.
Those early settlers chose these lands because of the area’s good climate, the ease of finding food and the water from the streams that flow into the Set River.

Later, in the Neolithic period, fixed settlements were established.
Then, humans engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry.
Activities that changed the landscape.

Here we are! You’re in front of the Roca dels Moros cave paintings.
It’s a collection of 55 painted figures and 260 engravings.

On your mobile or tablet, you can see a 3D reproduction of the cave,
showing the location of all the paintings and providing information such as the name, type of figure and period.

Most of the paintings depict the human body n a very realistic way, with attention to detail.
And the figures are often part of a scene.
This style is known as Levantine art.

The scene that really stands out, on the right, is a group of women larger than the other figures.
They are dressed in long skirts and appear well-groomed.
They seem to have large breasts, but it’s more likely they are participating in a ceremony and wearing necklaces or bags for carrying food.

Above the women, there is a group of hinds with a fawn.
They are gathered around a male deer, identifiable by its large antlers.
At the feet of the group of women, there is another hind, lying on the ground with an empty belly.

Further to the left, other wild animals appear, typical of Mediterranean fauna, such as goats, oxen, deer and wild boars.

Some of them may be difficult to distinguish because the drawings have faded due to erosion from rain and wind.

Among the group of women, there is also a small man with a disproportionately large phallus.
He is depicted with only a pair of ribbons or feathers hanging from his knees.
Early interpretations focused on this male figure, suggesting it represented a phallic dance or a fertility ritual.

In the top right corner, there is another man depicted arrying a bow and arrows, aiming at the head of a wild boar.

On the opposite side, in the top left corner, we can see another hunting scene.
A person with a bow is aiming at a deer, and further up, there is another deer, dead and lying on its back.

These figures are drawn with simple lines in a schematic style, contrasting with the more detailed style of the other hunter or the group of women.

Most of the figures were painted between the Palaeolithic and the Neolithic periods, about 10,000 years ago.

Levantine art was created between the Palaeolithic and the Neolithic periods.
Schematic art was created during the Neolithic period.

Besides the human and animal representations, above and below the hunting scene, there are inscriptions of Iberian origin, much more recent, about 2,000 or 2,500 years ago.

They are distributed in two parallel lines, respecting the cave paintings.
Unfortunately, there have been insufficient studies of the Iberian language so far, and the meaning of these engravings is still unknown.

There is also a Roman-era inscription, about 2,000 years old, which, in Latin, says:
“Secundus fulfilled his promise”.

Apparently, someone asked a favour from the deity in exchange for a promise. And, upon being rewarded, the person wrote that they had kept the promise on this rock in El Cogul.

Now that you have seen the rock and its figures, you may wonder: who created these paintings and engravings?
What periods are they from? What do they mean?
What is happening in the scenes we see?

Well, let’s take it step by step.

Today we know that the Roca dels Moros paintings and engravings were created at various times in prehistory and history.
Taking advantage of the empty spaces, the women and the other elements were added over time.

It can be said, therefore, that the set of paintings was not planned from the beginning
but enriched over time, combining old stories with new thoughts.

This fact calls any global interpretation of the set into question, such as the phallic dance around the small man.
However, this biased narrative focused on men is what has remained engraved in people’s minds.

The people who painted these figures wanted to show their connection with nature and how they related to their environment.
The scenes depict traditions, beliefs, or ceremonies passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years.
We see scenes of deer hunting and mysterious relationships between people, especially women, and animals.
What more can we learn from the images we see?

One of the earliest and most repeated theories suggests that it is a ritual celebrating reproduction.
One element that reinforces this idea is the hind with the empty belly, which may be pregnant.

These paintings offer a glimpse into a worldview shaped by the recurring cycles of nature and the significance of group survival and reproduction.

However, viewed through a feminist lens, archaeology offers alternative interpretations focusing on social activities and the active role of women.

For instance, the central scene could be interpreted as a group of women walking together, perhaps towards a political or social ceremony, or sharing ideas and opinions about life.

We may never fully grasp the meaning behind these paintings.
But it’s crucial to preserve the knowledge they offer, vital for humanity’s continuity,
where women play a central role.

Clearly, the Roca dels Moros, where women take centre stage in the action, is an ideal place to challenge stereotypes surrounding gender and roles that place women beneath men.

The first stereotype we need to challenge is about the painters of these images:
have you considered that the mural’s creators could have been women?
It would make sense given the subject matter, wouldn’t it?

We’ve always been taught that throughout history,men did certain jobs and women did others.
But we haven’t been told that women also hunted, gathered fruit or made stone tools.
Now we know they did.

Take another look at the hunting scene on the left.
We don’t know if the person with the bow is a man or a woman, but stereotypes make us automatically assume it’s a man.

The paintings at Roca dels Moros allow us to reflect on the role of women in prehistoric societies in social and economic activities.

They also help us appreciate caregiving tasks, which are almost always carried out by women.
Motherhood and caregiving are essential for ensuring our survival, yet are undervalued in today’s society.
Perhaps they were more valued in prehistoric times?

Roca dels Moros has been an important site for various cultures at different times and epochs throughout history.
Over millennia, the original paintings were respected and even repainted by others.

Figures and inscriptions were added, consciously or unconsciously changing the meaning of the set of paintings.
Somehow, new generations were able to understand and share the significance of them.

Viewing the images in the same place where they were painted, we can imagine their importanceand sense that the cave was a place of passage visited to connect with nature
and ensure the survival of the human group.

Do you feel a connection to this special space that our ancestors chose time and time again?
Take a moment to enjoy the place in silence; it’s worth it.

To wrap up, let’s take a moment to reflect.
Throughout history, people from various cultures have left their mark on Roca dels Moros
through drawings and inscriptions.

If we had a similar place today to express ourselves, what would we represent? Who would have the authority to do so? What identifies us as a society? And you, what would you contribute?