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Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

Spanish archaeologists say they have discovered an exceptional set of Paleolithic-era cave drawings [phys.org] that could rank among the best in a country that already boasts some of the world's most important cave art.

Chief site archaeologist Diego Garate said Friday that an estimated 70 drawings were found on ledges 300 meters (1,000 feet) underground in the Atxurra cave in the northern Basque region. He described the site as being in "the Champions' League" of cave art, among the top 10 sites in Europe. The engravings and paintings feature horses, buffalo, goats and deer, dating back 12,500-14,500 years ago.

But Garate said access to the area is so difficult and dangerous it's not likely to be open to the public.

The cave was discovered in 1929 and first explored in 1934-35, but it was not until 2014 that Garate and his team resumed their investigations that the drawings were discovered. Experts say while it's too early to say if the discovery ranks alongside Spain's most prize prehistoric cave art site, the Altamira Caves—known as the Sistine Chapel of Paleolithic Art—Atxurra looks promising.

The craftmanship is stunning, made more impressive because the artists worked by flickering torchlight.

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