Dots, circles and horses: New rock art evidence through image-based digital methods in Moro Cave (Tarifa, Spain)

Abstract

In the mid-1990s, Moro Cave rock-shelter became a key site to understand the rock art phenomenon in southernmost Iberia, as the discovery of Solutrean engravings settled former arguments about the presence of Upper Palaeolithic art in the region. Since then, discontinuous and unsystematic interventions in this site not only left many questions unanswered but also reduced its scientific relevance in broader reviews and discussions. In this paper, we highlight how current digital applications of image-based spatial methods are improving the study of rock art in Campo de Gibraltar and La Janda ancient lagoon area (Cádiz province, Spain).Here we present the first results of the introduction of ‘free and open-source’ image-based recording methods to research at Moro Cave, such as photogrammetric Structure from Motion, orthophotomosaics, microtopography, and statistical band-processing of raster imagery. As a result, spatial modelling of the rock-shelter, microtopography of panels, and the discovery of numerous unpublished motifs across the whole site provide promising insights for future research. This paper focuses on new faint and particular dotted painted patterns (spirals/concentric circles, alignments, and aggregations) related to the large horse on the lower floor; cultural parallels, Upper Palaeolithic adscription, taphonomic issues and future directions are discussed. As a conclusion, a Late Solutrean/Early Magdalenian chronology is proposed due to dot size and shape, arrangement and composition, comparison with other sites, and degree of degradation.