Cave paintings thought to be up to 7,000 years old have been recently discovered in eastern Spain at Vilafranca, Castellon.

They include drawings of two aurochs and two human archers. There are 12 quite well preserved motifs , including several animal species. Most of them are quite large - the average size of the bulls is 30cm, and the humans 16 cm. The exact location of the cave is being kept a secret until the paintings can be properly protected and preserved,

Researchers including Professor Ines Domingo Sanz and Dr Domingo Sanze, from the University of Barcelona, the University of Toulouse and the University of Valencia discovered the paintings whilst working in the region.

The paintings aappear to be unique in style, unlike anything across the entire Mediterranean Basin. Hunting scenes are common in Levantine rock art; they are mostly focused on deer, goat or wild boar hunting, but bull hunting is far less common. Moreover, the human figures are more naturalistic than usual.

This new site may lead to links being made between the prehistoric paintings of Castellon and Bajo Aragon, allowing for the reconstruction of potential communication routes between these two main rock art regions.

The findings from the cave will be revealed in a forthcoming research paper.