There is a huge amount of prehistoric art in Portugal, including carved or engraved rocks (Portuguese: gravuras rupestres) as well as paintings (pinturas rupestres).
The most famous prehistoric art is the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Côa Valley, with open-air rock engravings dating back over 20 thousand years ago. The cave of Escoural has painted artwork that goes back to the Paleolithic period, some of the oldest in Europe. The famous painted dolmen of Antelas is a rare example of painting within a megalithic tomb.
There are many more sites, some visitable and some not, and more are also being discovered through the present day! In addition, there are smaller art objects which are displayed in museums around the country.
Use the map to the right to search for specific sites (highlighted map markers indicate sites that are described on this website), or browse through the entries below. More posts are added as they get visited!
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Rock Paintings of Vale de Junco (or Abrigo dos Gaivões)
Protected by the overhanging rock, the red stains stand out. Even after five thousand years, the shapes and designs can still be made out. What their significance is, we can only guess. Some depict people, others animals, while others are abstract symbols. One panel shows groups of lines: were these ancient people keeping count of