Simón-Vallejo, M. D., Cortés-Sánchez, M., Finlayson, G., Giles-Pacheco, F., Rodríguez- Vidal, J., Calle Román, L., Guillamet, E. and Finlayson, C. (2018): “Hands in the dark: Palaeolithic rock art in Gorham’s Cave (Gibraltar)”, Spal 27.2: 15-28. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12795/spal.2018i27.14 HANDS IN THE DARK: PALAEOLITHIC ROCK ART IN GORHAM’S CAVE (GIBRALTAR) MANOS EN LA OSCURIDAD: ARTE PALEOLÍTICO EN GORHAM´S CAVE (GIBRALTAR) MARÍA D. SIMÓN-VALLEJO Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología. University of Sevilla (Spain) Correo-e: [email protected] Author ID: 24081325700, ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6885-1464 MIGUEL CORTÉS-SÁNCHEZ Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología. University of Sevilla (Spain) Correo-e: [email protected] Author ID: 24079481300, ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9093-3338 GERALDINE FINLAYSON Gibraltar Museum, Gibraltar. 18-20 Bomb House Lane. PO Box 939, Gibraltar Correo-e: [email protected] ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1751-5655 FRANCISCO GILES-PACHECO Gibraltar Museum, Gibraltar. 18-20 Bomb House Lane. PO Box 939, Gibraltar Correo-e: [email protected] JOAQUÍN RODRÍGUEZ-VIDAL Departamento de Geodinámica y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Campus del Carmen, University of Huelva, Huelva, Spain Correo-e: [email protected] ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9475-3307 LYDIA CALLE ROMÁN HUM-949. Tellus. Prehistoria y Arqueología en el sur de Iberia. University of Sevilla (Spain) Correo-e: [email protected] ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9894-512X EUDALD GUILLAMET Restorer of Cultural Heritage, Andorra Correo-e: [email protected] CLIVE FINLAYSON Gibraltar Museum, Gibraltar. 18-20 Bomb House Lane. PO Box 939, Gibraltar Correo-e: [email protected] ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4795-9430 Abstract: The work in the inner area of Gorham’s Cave, Gi- Resumen: Los trabajos en la zona más interior de la cueva braltar, has added to the Palaeolithic art located in the cave. de Gorham (Gibraltar) han ampliado la zona con arte rupes- Although work continues on the surveying and the study tre paleolítico en la cavidad. Aunque los trabajos continúan, of the evidence found up to now, we present here a pre- presentamos en este trabajo un avance de los nuevos hallaz- view consisting of a representation of a red deer, and also gos, un ciervo y una mano en negativo, así como numerosos a hand stencil, alongside numerous marks which have been trazos. Así mismo, damos a conocer la datación directa me- found scattered throughout the inner cave. In this paper we diante 14C-AMS de una mano en negativo y situamos el re- present new data on the Upper Palaeolithic rock art in Gor- sultado obtenido en el contexto del registro arqueológico de ham’s Cave (Gibraltar) including direct dating of a hand sten- Gorham, que nos lleva a proponer una ejecución durante el cil. Situating this dating in the archaeological context of the Solutrense evolucionado. El resultado es particularmente sig- stencil, we conclude that it is associated with the Solutrean nificativo a la luz del encuadre convencional a este tipo de ISSN: 1133-4525 ISSN-e: 2255-3924 SPAL 27.2 (2018): 15-28 http://dx.doi.org/10.12795/spal.2018i27.14 Recepción: 1 de agosto de 2017. Aceptación: 15 de julio de 2018 16 M. D. SIMÓN / M. Cortés / G. Finlayson / F. GILES / J. RODRÍGUEZ / L. CALLE / E. GUILLAMET / C. Finlayson technocomplexe. This is particularly significant in the light of de motivos, atribuidos normalmente a momentos antiguos recent reviews which put European hand stencils in the con- del Paleolítico Superior. En este contexto, el dato de Gorham text of the Early or Initial Upper Palaeolithic. In this con- abre la discusión sobre esta correlación sistemática de todas text, the Gorham data opens the discussion on the systematic las manos en negativos del arte paleolítico europeo. chronological correlation of all hands in negatives of Euro- pean Palaeolithic rock art. Keywords: Upper Palaeolithic; Rock art; Hands stencils; Palabras claves: Paleolítico Superior; Arte rupestre; Manos Chronology; Solutrean; Gibraltar. en negativo; Cronología; Solutrense; Gibraltar. 1. INTRODUCTION of hand stencils in the context of European Palaeolithic rock art. Hand stencils on cave walls were first discovered at the turn of the 20th Century. Since then, a number of such stencils have been discovered in Europe and the 2. GORHAM´S CAVE consensus has been to attribute these to the Upper Pal- aeolithic, specifically the Gravettian-Aurignacian. Re- The existence of Palaeolithic art in Gorham’s Cave was cently, some authors have re-examined the evidence detected near to the excavated sections (Balbín et al. and have concluded that in all or almost all known 2000) where both zoomorphic and idiomorphic paint- cases, these hand stencils are older than the Gravet- ings and engravings have been documented (fig. 1.4 tian (García-Díez and Garrido 2013, García-Díez et al. and fig. 2). In 2005, we continued the exploration of 2015, Pettitt et al. 2015, Hoffmann et al. 2017) and, in the various areas not previously studied: these included some exceptional cases, some authors manage to frame the outer zones of the cave and Inner Gorham’s Cave, it in the Middle Palaeolithic (Hoffman et al. 2018a). an interior section within which only surveying work Gibraltar has a large number of Pleistocene ar- had been carried out. chaeological sites (e.g. see Finlayson et al. 2000), the ‘Inner Gorham’s Cave’ (fig. 1.4) is so named after best-known being Gorham’s Cave (fig. 1), where a an inscription left on the wall by Captain A. Gorham, of long sequence of Middle Palaeolithic levels have been the 2nd Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers, which reads identified, and which also has other more recent levels “Discovered and opened by Capt. Gorham. R.M.F.s + belonging to the Solutrean and Magdalenian as well as S Sgt Mathews. Jan. 1907”. This indicates that the en- Holocene levels (Finlayson et al. 2006). In this sense, trance to this part of the cavity was practically hidden these authors published nine radiocarbon dates from by Holocene sediments containing Neolithic and Phoe- within the Upper Palaeolithic levels which are likely nician archaeological remains which once blocked the to correspond, on the basis of style, to a series of rock entrance, and which still remain on the surface of this paintings and engravings that have been recorded in section of the gallery. the outer area of the cave (Balbín et al. 2000, fig. 1.4). Current access (fig. 1.4) to Inner Gorham’s Cave is In order to systematically study these elements of rock through a narrow passage – located about 9 m from the art, the Gibraltar Rock Art Project (GI.R.A. Project) end of the main gallery – only 45-50 cm at its narrowest was launched with the aim of identifying and study- point, formed between the rock (above) and the top of the ing the artistic archaeology of Gibraltar in the context sediments on the base. This passage is about 9 m long, and of the hunter-gatherer territory models of occupation leads into a gallery about 25 m in length which has a sim- in the Upper Palaeolithic in the South of Iberia (Simón ilar orientation to the main axis of the main cave outside. et al. 2005, 2008). In this case, Gorham’s Cave is the Inner Gorham’s Cave is divided transversely by hanging main feature within the Rock of Gibraltar which is a blocks which have been formed by erosion of sub-vertical major landmark in the Strait of Gibraltar (Simón et fractures by the sea and by chemical corrosion. al. 2008). Inner Gorham’s Cave also has speleothems at floor Here we report on the discovery of a hand stencil level and low heights, which make it impossible for a in Gibraltar (fig. 1), at the south westernmost extreme person to stand up anywhere in the area, except in a very of Europe (36o 7’ 14.32”N, 5o 20’ 31.2”W), situate it few points where one can just about wedge in between chronologically, and assess its importance in the con- walls. There are also some smaller passages that gradu- text of current interpretations of the cultural attribution ally narrow until they are completely impenetrable. SPAL 27.2 (2018): 15-28 ISSN: 1133-4525 ISSN-e: 2255-3924 http://dx.doi.org/10.12795/spal.2018i27.14 HANDS IN THE DARK: PALAEOLITHIC ROCK art IN GORHAM’S Cave (Gibraltar) 17 Figure 1. Gorham´s cave Palaeolithic rock art. Showing the location of the site, and the positions of the rock art within Gorham’s Cave. ISSN: 1133-4525 ISSN-e: 2255-3924 SPAL 27.2 (2018): 15-28 http://dx.doi.org/10.12795/spal.2018i27.14 18 M. D. SIMÓN / M. Cortés / G. Finlayson / F. GILES / J. RODRÍGUEZ / L. CALLE / E. GUILLAMET / C. Finlayson 3. METHODS long by 27 cm wide and was executed by using a brush to apply a liquid preparation of nearly black pigment. The 14C-AMS sample, extracted by one of the authors The animal has been drawn with perspective and in (EG), was obtained by following not only strict sam- profile showing the left side of the body, while the ant- pling methods, but also prime conservation methods so lers are also in profile, except for the brow tines which that the loss of pigment from the figure did not prevent start from the crown in parallel lines, and diverge away the preservation of the motif or mislead in its interpre- from the crown. The lower jaw is painted in black pig- tation. The sample was collected under the direct super- ment, a vertical line forms a closed square to represent vision and permission of the Director of the Gibraltar the nose, and another line traces the forehead to reach Museum.