Rock Ar' Research 2003 -Volume 20. NumberI. pp. 53-68. J. Z/LHÃO
53
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KEYWORDS:
Dams
-Dating
-Management
-Palaeolithic
-Rock
art
-Settlement
"
."-
.OF
THE COA V ALLEY: RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT
A WORLD HERITAGE ROCK ART SITE
João Zilhão
Abstract. The Côa valley rock art would have been completely submerged if construction ofthe large
Foz Côa dam, begun in 1992, had been allowed to be pursued. The dam project was halted in 1995 and
a 200 km2 archaeological park was established in this arca, which has been legally protected at the
highest level-that
of National Monument-since 1997. Public access to selected sites is organised
through four-wheel drive tours of groups of no more than eight people accompanied by guides
appropriately trained in archaeology and rock art studies. Visitor centres were set up in restored
traditional houses positioned in villages located on the periphery of the park. A museum of art and
archaeology and associated research facilities is to be established at the site of the now abandoned
damoThe universal importance ofthe valley's cultural heritage and the landmark nature ofthe Portuguese
govemment's decision to preserve it in spite of the huge tinancialloss involved have been widely
acclaimed. As a result, the Côa valley's pre-Historic rock art was included in the World Heritage List
in Oecember 1998.
Introduction
Côa. As a result, lhe original valley bottom ofthe latter has
The Côa river is one of lhe first tributaries to be found
on lhe left bank of lhe Douro once lhe latter crosses lhe
been under a few metres of water for some kilometres
upriver from lhe confluence since 1983.
present-day political border between Spain and Portugal
(Fig. I). It flows from south to north, mostly across granitic terrain and then, for some 12 km until lhe confluence,
across schists. Geographically, lhe deeply incised tenninal
Côa valley belongs to lhe Upper Douro region, which has
a Mediterranean climate and is, today, lhe driest in lhe country. An important succession of hydro-electric dams was
built in this region since lhe 1950s, taking advantage ofthe
stee.p topographic gradients. The latest was Pocinho, on
lhe Douro, some 8 km downriver from lhe mouth of lhe
Thehistoryofthediscoveryofanensembleofopenair
rock art sites from lhe Palaeolithic period in this valley
begins in 1991, when lhe panel now known as Canada do
Inferno Rock I was first recognised (Fig. 2). However, it
was not until November 1994, when severa1 other engraved
rocks had already been identified in lhe same location, that
its existence was officially announced by lhe responsible
authorities. In lhe fo11owing weeks, a rapid succession of
new finds established that lhe va11ey's decorated rock surfaces spread a1ong some 17 km (Baptista and Gomes 1995;
Figure 1. Location in lhe lberian Peninsula ofthe
ensemble of rock art sites in lhe Côa valley and of
other Upper Palaeolithic locations of lhe northern
Rebanda 1995).
At that time, work towards lhe construction by EDP
(Electricidade de Portugal) of a 1arge hydro-e1ectric dam
was a1ready well under way a few hundred metres down-
Meseta.
c- al1si1e.
.dation
Open
ai,al1silo. .about
O
i
til
t -' t -that,
. pen a ,.e
emen~
.
I
.
Open
a,'al1endsetl
ement
oIte.
I .tional
I
Tiver from Canada do Inferno. If this work had been
allowed tp continue, lhe eventual inunofthe va11ey wou1d have brought
lhe submersion of this art at depths
in P 1aces, wou1d
be
of more
than
100metres.Fortunate1y,ayear-longna-1
and internationa1 campaign to stop
the dam project in order to protect and
study this major piece of archaeological
heritage succeeded in obtaining lhe desired outcome. In November 1995, a new
government would announce that the
dam was to be abandoned and that an
Archae01ogical Park devoted to lhe research and management of lhe va11ey's
""' ,
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-
54
Rock Arl Research
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J. ZILHA'O
Engraving techniques include pecking, fine-line incision, abrasionand scraping, often used in conjunction. Fineline incision is mostly used for small-sized figures (up to
15-20 cm), whereas middle and large-sized ones (between
50 and 200 cm) have their contours pecked or abraded.
Red paint is still visible in association with the engraved
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20, Number J-pp. 53-68.
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contoursoflarge-sized'aurochsen'atthesiteofFaia,sug-
I ()
A
gesting
o-':';'~\:,' ~ l'/ r1:í \
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\
!
that,
originally,
the
valley's
.
Palaeolithic
represen-
-and
tations were colour-treated. The recovery ofpigments (red
yellow ochre, manganese) in the many contemporary
,,)
;
habitation sites discovered in the area is consistent with
this hypothesis.
.
"i
From a stylistic point ofview, the Palaeolithic art ofthe
!
Côa presents some significant novelties, rare or unknown
~ ~
in Franco-Cantabrian parietal art. In fact, several medium:1
to large-sized pecked figures depict movement through the
-juxtaposition
of two, sometimes three heads over the same
j
body contour. More often, it is the downward movement
I
ofthe head, in a 'mating' or 'drinking scene', a technique
I
...\
í
~~~)
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o
,
~
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.\
.,
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\
'.
applied to both 'horses' and 'aurochsen'. In some other
instances, 'aurochsen', 'ibex' and 'red deer' are depicted
turning their head backwards (Fig. 3).
'
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Figure 2. Superimposition ofpecked 'horses', 'aurochsen'
and 'ibex' in Canada do Inferno Rock 1.
rock art was to be established in the area. After a few months
of preparatory work, the Côa Valley Archaeological Park
(PAVC, Parque Arqueológico do Vale do Côa) opened to
the public on 11 August 1996 (Zilhão 1998).
The monument
Twenty-four rock art sites are currently known in the
Côa valley and adjacent slopes ofthe left bank ofthe Douro
(Zilhão 1997; Zilhão et aI. 1997; Baptista 1999,2001). Of
the few hundred panels already identified, 164 contain
Palaeolithic figures. Other periods are also well represented
in the ensemble, particularly the Iron Age, but there is also
some rock art from the Neolithic and the Copper Age, as
well as from historical times (17th-20th centuries). Estimations based on the number of inventoried panels indicate that the figure for the total ofPalaeolithic representations will be in the range of the thousands rather than in
that ofthe hundreds. The species depicted are 'aurochsen',
'horse', 'ibex' and 'red deer'. Rare examples of'fish', 'chamois' and 'humans' are also known. The absenceofEuroSiberian species common in the cave art of the FrancoCantabrian region (such as reindeer, mammoth, woolly
rhino or bison) is to be expected, given that, at the time,
those species did not live south of the Ebro River.
Figure 3. The two-headed 'male ibex' in Quinta da Barca
Rock 3 (copyright Centro Nacional de Arte Rupestre).
The two major sites (the Penascosa/Quinta da Barca
complex and Canada do Inferno) correspond to petroglyph
concentrations on rock outcrops around the best beaches
in the valley bottom. This suggeststhat the art found therein
decorated habitation areas,even ifPleistocene deposits with
settlementremains were not found in the different archaeological, geological and geophysical tests carried out in the
area. These tests showed that such an absence is due to
erosional processesoccurring throughout Tardiglacial and
56
RockArt Research 2003 -Volume 20. NumberI. pp.53-68. J. ZILHA"O
.Govemment
Resolution 4/96, published in the official
joumal, Diário da República, on 17 January 1996, suspends dam construction work;
.Govemment
Resolution 42/96, published in the official joumal, Diário da República, on 16 April 1996,
createsthe PROCOA program (Programa de Desen~olvimento Integrado do Vale do Côa) for the promotlon
of the region 's economy, defining cultural tourism focused on its rich historical and archaeological heritage
as a strategic development axis;
.Decree-Law
117/97, published in the official joumal,
Diário da República, on 14 May 1997, created the IPA
(Instituto Português de Arqueologia, Portuguese lnstitute of Archaeology), an agency ofthe Ministry ofCulture responsible for the management of the nation's archaeological heritage; the PAVC was administratively
defined as a department of the IPA by the same token;
.Decree-Law
32/97, published in the official journal,
Diário da República, on 2 July 1997,lists SítiosArqueológicos no Vale do Rio Côa (Archaeological Sites in
the Côa River Valley) as a National Monument;
.Decree-Law
50/99, published in the official joumal,
Diário da República, on 16 February 1999, establishes
that any significant transformation oflandscape and traditional soil use inside the Archaeological Park requires
prior approval by the IPA/PAVC.
art and Palaeolithic archaeology, such as Les Eyzies (Périgord, France) or Altamira/Santillana deI Mar (Cantabria,
Spain). These previous experiences showed that the kind
of cultural tourism to be developed in the Côa valley:
.Could
only be rational and sustained if functioning as a
complement of traditional economic activities;
.Was a long-term processwhose eventual successwould
depend more on the local initiative than on the 'miraculous' interventions of a central govemment;
.Should define the whole region, with its beautifullandscape and other historical and archaeological sites, not
just the rock art, as the attraction capable of drawing in
for longer than the episodic visit a significant number
oftourists.
t
On 2 December 1998, the Kyoto meeting ofthe World
Heritage Committee listed the 'Prehistoric Rock Art Sites
in the Côa Valley' as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on
the basis ofthe following criteria:
Criterion i:
'The
Upper
Palaeolithic
rock art ofthe
Visitar centre
(August1996)
..
Costeio
Melhor
Penascoso
Côa valley is an
..Almendro
outstanding example of the sudden flowenng of creatlve
genius at the dawn ofhuman cultural development.'
Criterion iii:
.
.
Chls
'The Côa valley rock art throws light on the social, economic, and spirituallife of the early ancestor of humankind in a wholly exceptional manner.'
C 6a
Consolidation ofthe Park's statusis currently [late 2000]
bein g Pursued through two maio avenues: acquisition by
Côa Valley
..Archaeological
the State ofthe property concemed by the classlficatlon as
P ar k
a National Monument; publication as law of a ManageV ' s ' tor
ment Plan for the Park-an area of 208 km2 with a periI I
meter of 86.5 km-whose preparatory field work compoaccess system
nent was carried out between 1997 and 2000. This plan
.6
MojarArtSlt8o
.
S
onoCombo
t
:~VI.'laln
oroupoof8
~:tr:::um.
ould..,
u.lno
1ou,-wh..1
drlv.
vohlçl..
will define the roles under which several different cultural,
economic and environmental objectives are to be attained:
.cilities.
.Long-term
conservatlon ofthe engraved rock surfaces;
.Public
visitation of the most representative and accessible ~ites;
.Su~tamment
of the tradltlOnal. agncultural actlV~tles
WhlChcre.atedthe lands~apesettmg of the rock art s.rtes;
.Pres~rvatlon o.f the habrtat of ~everalprotected anImal
speCles,especlally the large blr~s of prey (eagle, vulture etc.) that are known to nest m the valley.
The concept, therefore, is that the Monument is the valley as a whole, the place that Palaeolithic hunters monumentalised with their art and where people continue to live and
work today, not just the isolated clusters of engraved rocks
and associated archaeological sites. The visitor management system (Fig. 5) is drawn from this concept (Zilhão
The strategy behind the creation of the PAVC was inspired by the experience of other regions of Europe where
a successful tourist industry developed on the basis ofrock
1998). Three sites were selected for public access for their
size, quality and setting: Canada do Inferno, Ribeira ~
Piscos and Penascosa/Quinta da Barca. On-site manage-
-
Figure 5. VlSitor access system and location of Par~ -(aThe opening date (effective or estimated) IS mdicated in parenthesis.
RockAr' Research 2003 -Volume 20. Number I, pp. 53-68. J. ZILHÃO
57
ment facilities are reducedto lhe minimum: sheltersfor left slopeof lhe valleyto accommodatelhe wall of the now
lhe Park rangerswho securelhe area on a 24-hourbasis abandonedFozCôa dam,The technicalproblemsinherent
were built and paths for lhe visitors were preparedor re- in lhe choice of this locationand lhe costsinvolved-30
paired.
million euro--have somewhatdelayedlhe project, initially
The petroglyphsare executedon vertical rock surfaces scheduledfor completion in 200I and whose opening to
exposeddue west on lhe right bankanddue eastonthe left lhe public is now estimatedto take place in Iate 2003 or
bank,As a result, their visibility changesmarkedlyduring early2004. At that time, it will becomepossibleto change
lhe dar: atPenascosa,for instance,theyare in lhe shadein lhe accessroles for lhe Canadado Inferno petroglyphs,
lhe morning.The patinationofthe traits andthe numerous situatedonly a few hundredmetresupriver, from lhe cursuperimpositionsalso make it difficult for lhe untrained rent 'safari-type' systemto an 'open-air museumsystem',
eye to obtain an immediaterecognition of lhe individual i.e, a systemwherebypeople walk to lhe panels on their
drawings,Theseproblemsweresolvedwith lhe implemen- own and guidesstayon-site with both visitor supportand
tation of guided tourstaking place only attimesofthe dar visitor controlduties.
whenlhe inclination ofthe solarrays allows good reading
conditions.No morethan eightpersonsareallowed in each The Park's public
groupso that accessto lhe art is optimal for lhe visitor and
Sinceopening,lhe annualnumberof Park visitors has
canbe controlled by lhe guide in termsofpreventingunin- steadilyexceeded20 000. In lhe last three years,lhe figtended damageto lhe panels.The guides, recruited and ureswere 20 070 in 1998,20 202 in 1999,and 20 339 in
trainedamonglhe local youth,provide eachvisitor with a 2000. In total, 82 776peoplevisited lhe Park between10
set ofexplanatory cardsusedduring the visit as a graphic August 1996and 31 December2000, Some 16% of this
helpto lhe decipheringofthe motifs.
total correspondsto schoolgroups,and a gradualincrease
Thesecards,aswell asscientificpublicationsandbooks in lhe numberof foreignvisitors is noticeab1e:from 1% in
written for a wider audienceare available for sale in the 1996-97,to 7% in 1998and 11% in 2000.
Park's visitor centres,The latterwere setup onlhe periphAn independentstudy(Lima andReis2001)ofthe comery of lhe Park: at CasteloMelhor for visits to Penascosa, position of lhe Park's public carried out by a teamof lhe
atMuxagatafor visitsto RibeiradePiscos,andatVila Nova ISCTE (Instituto Superiorde Ciênciasdo Trabalho e da
de Foz Côa, in the head office of lhe PAVC,for visits to Empresa,University ofLisbon) allowed lhe establishment
Canadado Inferno. Thesecentresare provided with lhe of a sociologicalprofi1eofthe adultpub1icvisiting the Park
entire infrastructureneeded:ticket sales,souvenirs,light in the summer:
food
." and drinks, sanitaryfacilities etc, Inside, while they
A .'
fth ..
h'ghl d
d
..,tour to start,vIsltors canaccessmlormatlon
,"
..maJonty .,
o e VISltorsare
walt lor thelr
o I ye ucate '.45% hold
art d
h I
d. I d .
II
a umversltydegreeand 14!Iaattendeda university but
on the va11ey' s
an arc aeo ogy, ISpare m wa ex-.
,
..
h.b.t
d
t
t t.dld
not completethelr studles;thlS must accountto a
I I San compu er presena tons.
h
d t..
b t
I 5 (C d d
large extent for lhe fact that 70% of those surveyed
'T'
lours, w ose Ufalon vanes e ween,
ana a o
..,
...
) d 2 5 (Rib . d P.
)h
d art ~
th
correctlyIdentlfied,evenbeforelhe VIslt,the hlstoncal
I fuerno
~
an,
eira e ISCOSours, ep lrom ese
...
penod ofthe petroglyphs(the UpperPalaeollthlc);
centres.The vIsltors aretransportedby thelr gulde m fourA ' . fi
t
,.
. fr
' ,
wheel dnve vehlcles owned and mamtamedby lhe Park.
. tes; 730/"o decIared they had aIready visite
SI
.. d other arh
I
.
I
'
In
thlS
system,
lhe
maxlmum
number
of
Vlsltors
that
each
..
'~ lor the most part, and
d..
d b h d..c
aeooglca SItes, RomanruInS
d
slte canrecelveper ay IScon Itlone y t e Istancesm56
0/
,
."o
decIared that the number of monuments they had
volved and
lhe natureof lhe terram,by the workmg hours
.' ted over the preced'mg threeyearswas .m the range
...VISI
of lhe guldesand thelr numberand,ultlmately,by lhe enof 40.
forcementof the basic conse~ationrole that therecanbe .98% ~fthesevisitorssaidtheywere 'satisfied' and64%
no more than one group at a time on site.As a result,the
'extremelysatisfied' with the visit,
Park'scarrying capacitycurrentlyis between150and 200
visitors per dar, with seasonalvariations in lhe numberof
A market studycarried out at lhe requestof a private
daylight hours imposing a winter reduction.Theseaccess consortium set up to bui1d in Vila Nova de Foz Côa a
limitations arecompensatedby a reservationsystemthatis PalaeolithicArt ThemeParkalgoprovidedvaluableinforhighly recommendedfor individuais and family groups, mation on lhe altitudes of the generalpublic toward lhe
and obligatory for largegroupsand schoolvisits.
ArchaeologicalParkand lhe political decisionsbehind its
On November 1997,a site museumwas openedat lhe creation,particularly where the abandonmentof lhe Foz
Quinta da Ervamoira. Although privately promotedand Côa damis concerned.Fieldwork for this study,authored
owned,this museumis part ofthe Park's circuits. The ar- by lhe SpanishcompanySigma2, took place in October
chaeologyofthe valley's Romansites,lhe agriculturalhis- 1997in both Portugaland Spain,with the following retory, and lhe ethnographyof the areaare presentedto lhe sults:
f
..,
,
.slgm
Ican
maJonty
IS
a
equent
vIsltor
o
h
'
entage
.
public,The high-qualityproduceofthe property,especially .97% ofthe Portuguese
(and 17%ofthe Spaniards)knew
the widely acclaimedwines,is available for purchase,
of lhe Côa valley rock art; in high schools,theseperA museumintendedto provide an explanatoryframecentagesroseto 100%in Portugaland 41% in Spain;
work for lhe valley's heritageis currentlyin lhe final stage .43% ofthe Portuguese'fully agreed'with lhe decision
ofplanning. It will be built insidelhe trenchopenedonthe
to abandonthe dam project,46% 'agreedto someex-
___"0
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I
58
Rock Ar'
Research
2003
-Volume
tent', and only 11% were 'in total disagreement';
.The
discovery ofCôa rock art was something to be 'very
proud' offor 70% ofthe Portuguese and to be 'proud'
of for another 26%.
Thesevalues are alI the more significantsincethe 1995
political controversy surrounding lhe fale of lhe dam and
lhe petroglyphs had given rise to a major division ofPortuguese society. Although, at lhe beginning, opinion polIs
indicated that a majority was in favour of stopping lhe dam
to preserve lhe petroglyphs (55% against30% in June 1995,
according to a polI published in lhe weekly magazine
VISão),lhe confusion created by lhe announcement ofthe
pseudo-scientific dating results obtained by Robert G.
Bednarik andAlan Watchman (cf. Bednarik 1995a) brought
about a significant erosion ofthis support. In January 1996,
a polI divulged in lhe Viva a Liberdade show of lhe national channel SIC (Sociedade Independente de Comunicação) two months after lhe government's decision to preserve lhe art and create lhe PAVC was announced indicated
that 28% were in favour ofthe decision, 39% were against,
whereas lhe percentage of undecided had risen from lhe
15% in June 1995 to 33%.
Five years after its creation, lhe PAVC is going through
a phase of administrative consolidation and preparing for
lhe qualitative leap that lhe opening of lhe Canada do Inferno Museum wilI representoWith this facility, lhe Park's
carrying capacity wilI increase to values of c. 200000 visitors per year. This wilI provide lhe market basis for local
investors to develop lhe tourist facilities and services which
are required to support such a flux and, at lhe same time,
wilI make it possible for lhe Côa rock art to pIar an economic role of regional importance.
Dr JoãoZilhão
Rua Prof. João Barreira, Porta C, 38
1600-634Telheiras
Portugal
E-mail:joao.zi/[email protected]/epac.pt
RAR
20-632
COMME
N T S
Stale propaganda
By MILA SIMÕES
DE ABREU
Dr Zilhão's paper does not strike me as a serious scientific
contribution to understanding lhe rock art of lhe Côa valler or its management. Rather I see it as a poorly disguised
propaganda exercise excusing bis work, first as Director
of lhe Archaeological Park of lhe Côa ValIey (PAVCParque Arqueológico do Vale do Côa) and later as Director
ofthe National Portuguese Institute of Archaeology (IPAInstituto Portugês de Arqueologia).
Since this paper was written, elections were held in
Portugalapd a new govemment took office in Apri12002.
20, Number 1, pp. 53-68.
J. ZILHA"O
Following these events, Dr Zilhão resigned as IPA Director. The new Minister ofCulture is slowly trying to correct
some ofthe previous mistakes.
Although lhe paper is now out of date, its absurdity
mar help ilIustr~te lhe present situationAofPAVC and lhe
la~k of ~r~gres~ m lhe resear~h of lhe Coa valIey rock art.
Wrt~ thl.Sm mm~, I shalI POl~t out some erron.eo~s,mi~l~admg mformatlon. ?thers wtll co~ment on Ztlhao s Vlslon of lhe facts that mvolved ~he dlsclosure and fight to
save lhe ?etroglyphs of t?e Coa valIey and suspend lhe
const.ru:tlon ofthe Foz Coa damo
...
Ztlhao attempts to broach two qu.rte dlfferent lssues:
resea~ch,c~vered somewh~t superficlalIy, folIowed by a
labonous.plece on lhe Pa:k s .m~~gement.
.Th~ brt on resear~halrs Ztlhao s usu~l ~nd much publt~heNd
ldeas on lhe Coa valIey rock art (Ztlhao 19?6, 1~97;
Ztlh~o et ai. 1997 an~ Caf,"alho ~t aI. 1996), WhlC~ ralses
nothmg ne,!" and.avolds dlscussmg .fresh matters ltke lhe
controverslal Fartseu finds and stratlgraphy (Anon. 2000;
Abreu. and Bednarik 20?0)..
.
Bnefly acknowledgmg lhe exlstence of evldence from
other periods in lhe Côa valIey, Zilhão then concentrates
alI bis descriptio~ of th.e 'monument' on its Palaeolithicsty~e figures. Whl!e .domg so, he evades lhe fact that t~e
cl~lm of a Palaeoltthlc age, for most of lhe petroglyphs,.lS
stllI based on style. In fact, many researchers agree wrth
Paul Bahn, who writes, '... we only have stylistic arguments for this, albeit strong' (Bahn 2001: 158).
.No adequateda~ing information is given. The few publtshed .dat~s (Mercler et aI. 2~0 1; Aubry et.aI: 200~) are
from srtes m lhe valIey but ~ot m cle~ assoclatlon v:rth.lhe
petroglyphs. Bahn also wntes, refemng to open-alr Slberian rock art, that 'lhe presence of Palaeolithic settlements
in lhe area in no way provides a date for these images'
(Bahn 2001: 156); this specific statement evokes a general
concept applying to alI rock art, including that on lhe Côa,
which Zilhão disregards.
He seeks to establish a relationship between habitation
areas and lhe petroglyphs in two main areas, Penascosa/
Barca and Canada do Inferno. There are contradictions in
bis desperate effort to prove this. He admits lhe lack of
evidence and presents an explanation saying, 'tests showed
that an absenceis due to erosional processes'. This absence'
is no proof of any possible association. Citing lhe contested
Fariseu finds does not help bis case (Abreu and Bednarik
2000). Zilhão then concedes that this is not so for other
panels like one at Piscos.
Zilhão is also incapable of answering criticisms by researcherslike Thomas WyrwolI (2000) on representations
of fauna. The question is not lhe absenceof cold Palaeolithic
fauna but lhe documented presence in post-Palaeolithic
times of fauna like that depicted in lhe Côa valIey.
The Capra pyrenaica lusitanica (Fig. 1) lived in lhe
area until recent times-at least 1892(Almaça 1992); sadly,
lhe last known Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica was found dead
near Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido early in
2000 (Huesca).
In a habitual misleading fashion, Zilhão refers in English to those figures as 'ibex'. The scientific name ofthe
~
60
Rock Arl Research
2003
-Volume
20. Number J. pp. 53-68.
J. ZILHÃO
applies to several cave art sites in Europe.
Should the Côa petroglyphs be a Palaeolithic style made
during a more recent period, say around 10 000 -8000
years ago, that does not make them any less interesting or
important-quite the opposite. There is no doubt that the
Côa rock art is an exceptional discovery that contributes to
knowledge ofthe earliest open-air rock art in Europe, along
with other Iberian sites. Some of them mar not be in such
spectacular landscapes but they are equalIy important. Neither Siega Verde Dor Domingos Garcia are 'lesser' sites, as
Zilhão seems to imply.
1 am algo a bit puzzled by Zilhão's map in bis Figure 1.
It is not very clear when the paper was written-its author
claims late 2000; however, the bibliography lists a book
published in May 2001 (Gonçalves 2001). This means that
Zilhão knew of at least TWO other open-air rock art sites:
one in the Sabor river in the Douro region, in the north,
and the other at Ocreza in the Tagus basin. In 1997, the
services of IPA (the institute Zilhão directed) announced
the discovery of an aurochs figure in a dam zone destined
to substitute that of Foz Côa (Abreu 1997)0Although the
zone has not been properly surveyed yet, several rock art
panels and decorated rockshelters were found (Abreu
2001). The Ocreza river open-air Palaeolithic-style petroglyph was found on 6 September 200Q-the first discovery in central/southem Portugal. Members of Zilhão's IPA
were aware of the find (Oosterbeek 2000). 1 cannot think
of a reasonably plausible explanation for the omission of
these significant discoveries.
For the record it is necessary to add that at the beginning of200l a Spanish team started surveying and studying a major rock art area on the Guadiana river's left bank
in Spain (ColIado 2001). In April that year, further petroglyphs were found on the Guadiana's right bank in Portugalo
Appeals of IFRAO (2001) and UISPP (2001) went in
vain and did not succeed in saving the area. Worse, the
standards of documentation recommended by IFRAO's
President (Bednarik 2001) were not applied. While Spanish colIeagues used time-tested technology to record alI
the decorated surfaces in Spain, the same was not true for
the decorated surfaces in Portugal. AlI these petroglyphs
now lie deep under the waters of the Alqueva dam reservoir (Bednarik 2002).
Altogether, approximately 800 rocks were identified on
both banks. Several surfaces had Palaeolithic-style figures.
As IPA Director, Dr Zilhão denigrated the discoveries,
which mar explain why he would not include the
Guadiana's Palaeolithic-style figures on bis map.
The open-air Côa rock art might be considered a 'Copemican revolution' by a European Palaeolithic researcher
like Zilhãoo Most rock art researchers around the world,
rock art site in the world, as, for example, PAVC guides
would have visitors believe. This brings me to the next part
of Zilhão's paper: managing the Park of the Côa.
This is not the place for fulI evaluation ofhow PAVC
was run over the last years. 1 shalIlimit my commentary to
some ofthe most pertinent issues. The lower Côa valIey
stretches out over 17 kilometres and has 24 rock art sites
with 260 panels in the open-it is not a cave. Trying to
fOlIOWthe strategy of cave art areaslikeAltamira or Lascaux
proved to be one of the first management mistakes. ControlIing the number of visitors is different from reducing
them to few dozen a dar. Zilhão's lack of experience with
rock art managementwas probably part of the problem.
While he was the director of PAVC, Zilhão created a
system whereby it was only possible to visit by booking
guided tours in the Park's four-wheel drive vehicles. To
this dar one cannot hike to any of the officialIy open sites.
The patter of guided visits folIows a standard scheme that
does not earnestlytake into account considerations like age,
education or interest. It matters not ifthe visitor is a young
student or a keen amateur, the 'cassette-tape' is always the
same. Over the years, 1 repeatedly found myself in the
embarrassing position oftaking students or colIeagues to a
site 1 discovered (in that 1 was the first rock art researcher
to see it and make it public) and being forced to listen to a
guide explaining the place.
School visits are complicated by the fact that only eight
people can go on each guided trip. Guides algo drive the
vehicles, so these are unused for much ofthe dar. Failure
to foster private initiatives meant visits were restricted to
those conducted by PAVC guides. Management practices
kilIed off or stunted the growth ofprivate enterpriseo It is a
majorproblem. Everything is run by PAVC, from the visits
to selIing coffee and souvenirs. This even disadvantages
smalI businessessuch as vilIage coffee bars that were there
before.
In recent years the situation became even more absurdo
Now, babies and toddlers under three years old cannot visit
the Park at any time during the year-the reason given is
that it is too boto At Fiscos, this prohibition extends to
youngsters aged up to eight years old. Families with smalI
children are unreasonably penalised. Before PAVC carne
to be, 1 used to do what local people did for centuriestake my smalI children down to the valIey bottom where
the locaIs herded, went fishing or folIowed other pursuits.
My family and 1 used to see the rock art and on hot days
we often waded or swam in the river. AlI this is now also
prohibited.
Although several areas ofPAVC mar be unsuitable for
some visitors, the lack of altematives is a crass mistakeo
There are no areas disabled people can visit, which is unfortunate when one considers that places like Penascosa
including some cave art specialists (Bahn 2001) merely see
it as placing 'European' rock art in its place in the worldone where truly ancient rock art in the open is already welI
known and has been so for decades.
As rock art researcher and algOas Portuguese citizen, 1
am embarrassed by and dislike ridiculous jingoistic nationalism see~ing to transform the Côa into the most important
are on leveI ground with easy access by suitable vehicles.
A further example of inanity is the ban on umbrelIas, even
in heavy rain; PAVC personnel say they could damage the
petroglyphs-possible of course but the same can be said
of so many other things.
Zilhão algo presents long considerations on the Park
and the publico 1 am very surprised to see that some are
---
.
RockArlResearch1003 -Volume 10,Numberl,pp.53-68. J,ZILHA-O
.per
basedon erroneousdata.Excluding lhe 1996inauguration
year and 1997, visitor numbersprovided by PAVC(Table
1) showa modestincreaseuntil2000 fol10wedby an abrupt
plunge.
AlI exceptone of Zilhão's numbersdiffer from those
given by PAVC,bis showingaround 2000 more visitors
yearthan official figures.The exceptionis bis total from
10 August 1996to 31 December2000,which is identical
to that for official visitor numbers.We canseehe needsto
validate bis claim that PAVC consistentlyattractedover
20 000 visitors a year; the problemis that official figures
were roughly 2000 BELOW the 20 000 required for this
propagandaexercise.It seemshe 'corrected' the official
figures.
Visitor numbers
Year
Zilhão
1996-97
*
1998
20070
1999
20 202
2000
20339
Official
28 162
18072
18203
18339
lf so many vIsrtors w1l1be happy to see copIes, why not
build the dam and 'preserve' the originaIs under water?
Total1996-2000
82776
82776
2001
-16036
2002
-15405
* Mustbe22 165to fit Zi1hão's82776total,whichis identical
to thatfor official visitornumbersbetween1996and2000.
Year
Typesof visitors
,
"
Forelgn Vlsltors
1996 -97
1998
1999
429
1411
1642
61
and impact of the petroglyphsmake it possible.Reading
throughlhe Park's complaintsbook I noticed mosthad to
do with bureaucracypreventingthe individuaIs from visiting the Park. Someof the most commoncomplaintswere
againstthe reservationsprocessthat excluded passers-by
who wantedto visit, againstthe systemthatexcludedlarger
groupsand againstvisits being cancelleddue to small arrival delays.
In lhe final part of bis article, Zilhão presentsthe idea
thateverythingwill changeand thatlhe numberofvisitors
will increasewith the opening of a museum.Most of us
mar welcomethe idea of a 'museum' or a visitor centre
with additionalinformation. On the other hand,we must
keep in mind two things: the valley is the real 'museum'
and it is unlikely that eitherit or a museumcould everconsistentlyattractaround200 000 visitors a year.
Iam apprehensiveofthe idea thatcopiescansubstitute
the real thing. It ~anmake sensefor caves.or exhibitions
but b.ecomespartlcular~ydangerou~~hen rt emergesas a
~olutlonto th.e.destru~tlonof the ongmal. In ~therwords,
Students
A so-called'minimisation' approachwas recentlyapplied in Portugalin the caseofheritage destroyedby the
Guadianariver'sAlquevadaro
(seehttp://mc2.vicnet.net.au
/home/guadiana/web/index.htm/).
Zilhão and membersof
bis institute contentedthemselveswith photographsand
partialtracingof panelswith thousandsof petroglyphsthat
endedup deepunderwater.
In conclusion,I would like to add thatthe presentMinister of Culture createda commissionand askeda select
numberof researcherstheir opinion regardingthe previous Côa Museumproject. I, like the majority, agreedthat
lhe projectof the architectMaia Pinto,who is alsothe current Director ofPAVC, was difficult to build and too ex2000
2262
pensive.Above alI, I aro againstthe improprietycausedby
2001
2763
3635
the PAVC Directoralsohaving becoengagedasthe archi2002
3248
3426
tect ofthe prospectivemuseum.Anyway, evenifits locaTotal
11 755
7061
tion in lhe darocutting was original, that project did not
fulfil lhe right requirements.
Maia Pinto's projectwasabanTable1. Tablesshowingvisitar numbers.PAVC
doned last Novemberand the commissionand other spepersonnelprovided official numbersin March 2003.
cialists choseanotherlocation for a new project near the
mouthof the Côa with spectacularviews of lhe Douro.
Another interestingthing is that the numbersshowan
Currently,PAVCis practicallyparalysedby lhe previaverageof 65 visitors a dar over six years,a numberfar ous bureaucracyand wrong decisions.Along with other
below the Park's potential,eventaking into.consideration Portuguesecolleagues,let us hopePAVCgets on the right
severerestrictions.
trackandprovideslhe successfulservicethatthe localcomOfficial foreignvisitornumbersareinterestingandshow munity,lhewider nationaland intemationalcommunityand,
somegrowth. However,the generaltrend suggeststhePor- last but not least,the rock art itself deserve.
tuguesep~blic hasadverselyreactedto the management
of Professor
Mila SimõesdeAbreu
PAVC.
Associaçao
Portuguesa
deArte eArqueologiaRupestre
Studentnumbersshow that schoolsare not aroongthe C/oDepartamento
de Geologia,
UnidadedeArqueologia
priorities of PAVC. Complexvisiting schemesdiscourage Universidade
deTrás-os-Montes
eAlto Douro
teachers.The elitism Zilhão parades(45%havea univer- Apartado1013
sity degree)is not somethingto be proud of; it shouldre- 5000-911
Vila Real
ally be the reverse-the Côa is one of the few cultural Portu~al
mattersappealingto a wide publico
E-maIl:[email protected]
I haveno doubt that mostofthe visitors could be very RAR20-633
satisfied with a visit to the Côa-the beautyof lhe valley
62
RockAr' Research 2003 -Volume 20. NumberI. pp. 53-68. J. ZILHÃO
Criteria o[ importance
Discretion and dignity
By
By MARCEL
LUIZ
OOSTERBEEK
Dr Zilhão,
fonner
Director
Foz Côa and fonner
of Archaeology
aging
on what
presents
followed
serve lhe archaeological
As
most
readers
intensive,
and often
not very
tion
from
dates of legal
policy),
detinition
ofthe
this
serious,
decision
to pre-
Côa valley,
in 1995.
discussions.
future,
bis
to a prospect
that would
in lhe year 2003.
20000
figures
enable
from
lhe
on lhe sites of
of 200 000 visitors
economic
visitors
2001
visitor
In bis paper,
growth
1000!
as
I guess a first
comment
has been broken,
it alI wrong.
jor
such a decrease,
then?
swer a few kilometres
ley, where
emerged
sidered
photos
news
those
in 2001 ?
that perhaps
valley
one should
further
south,
in 2001.
carvings
as 'not
nothing
look
rock
Dr Zilhão,
ma-
for lhe anval-
and discretion.
caves:
by a few
own
interpretation
similation
tribution
air art. Exposed
but without
perhaps
nothing
with
south-westem
a staggering
a ter-
south
Europe
ali
dis-
than openthis
region,
surveyed,
in lhe Douro
increase
from
lhe
region
in open-air
Périgord
and Palaeolithic
richness.
Yet only two
of lhe Ural.
is thus itself
The
burst
a regional
to
sites incaves
of art in
event,
but of
magnitude.
Art in rockshelters
quire
of caves
lhe inverse
and of an extreme
RIso
with
geographic
surrounding
Furthennore,
art are known
con-
see, through
lack
its
by as-
that it is a characteristic
caves are numerous
numerable
either
have been intensively
locally,
more.
Vladivostok,
ques-
art demands
more powerful
fonnations
resulto The
explains,
exists
art. The simple
and Spain,
more
art clearly
be resolved
but infinitely
rock
sites
with
be put into
Deep-cave
of cave art demonstrates
art
bor-
richer
art or by its integration
ofPalaeolithic
etTect, also regional,
art,
cannot
cannot
open-air
but adds
regional
lhe Portuguese
Palaeolithic
which
We can
its interest,
with lhe much
sites.
art
in open-air
have been studied
this evidence
open-air
with
other fonns
repeatedly,
thus giving
which
time.
of a specific
in conjunction
deep inside
tion
longer
'regionalism'
lhe history
Meseta
on rock
with lhe same intensity
does not reduce
persistence
art complex
could
important',
gol
Why
in lhe Guadiana
(that lhe public
and drawings)
growth
Dr Zilhão
after lhe year 2000.
Maybe
Spanish
of
that has had ex-
Research
as such, crossing
der, in its totality,
ofthe
in both France
must be that lhe steady
about an important
in lhe papers
that in
and in 2002
then? As far as I know,
in lhe Côa
lhe
above
for optimism,
by c. 4000,
happened
thus showing
But why
happened
presents
always
but now we know
plummeted
What
but we are
Dr Zilhão
Reasons
designed,
Why?
this,
a steady growth,
per year, unti12000.
numbers
by another
and said about
ofvisitors:
then? The paper is well
art. This
resumes
arguments,
continent
but for a much
existence
must be understood
A lot has been written
important
today,
attest to lhe
But this is not a rea-
centuries.
across Europe
enforcing
well.
now
as in Portugal
thus
at lhe same time as
rejoice.
to an entire
for two
has been undertaken
Palaeolithic
lhe conserva-
should
lessons
in both
diplomas
for lhe Côa based
and Altamira,
of
son to give
perience
its Palaeolithic
Everyone
to its true dimension:
Dr Zilhão
in lhe near
has discovered
data on lhe site (number
of a strategy
Les Eyzies
dated
subject
Portugal
democracy.
of man-
apparently
has been lhe
useful
of
Institute
responsibility
lhe historical
know,
Park
Portuguese
bis view,
complex
will
In bis paper, apart
of rocks,
ofthe
(that had lhe chief
lhe Côa valley),
to 2000,
of lhe Archaeological
President
OTTE
hydraulic
is also not unknown
dams
or bitter
and did not re-
political
or philosophical
rible image ofthe criteria archaeologists
have on lhe issue
of conservation
of past remains. He RIso publicly
attacked
controversies
to be discovered
and valued;
Cap Blanc,
Gorges d , Enfer, Angle
sur l' Anglin
and Roc de Sers are
archaeologists
only
that demanded
greater
etTorts
in lhe record-
ing of such remains.
As I say, there
opinions
have
been, and there
on how to manage
not to be questioned,
'steady
growth'
in 2001,
suggested
and
pointed
one should
one. Maybe
welcome
altemative
if
they
by Dr Zilhão
suggest
Iam
Professor
possible
wrong,
and sound
of Prehistory
1.
But figures
show
was abruptly
explanations.
are
that lhe
broken
I have
but in this case I would
arguments.
and Archaeology
renely.
If one relies
interpreted
archaeology
even
can be known
in this
is detracted
art recently
etTorts
t@
OOS
.t
lp .p
fi
way:
such as
themselves.
a lot) rather
is a good
But
on what
than on lhe
thing!).
from lhe superb works of open-air
'discovered'
in Portugal
or from
made
d
one could
it is based
(which
se-
from lhe
supports,
bodies
(and this is already
ofprehistorians
superb
d ..
comparisons
human
been
and
(but is this judicious?),
is practised
speculations
that have
modestly
that this is an art on ephemeral
bark and tent walls,
lhe
others
on ethnographic
other side of lhe world
assume
.
/.
many
and
by those
who have demonstrated
I
-mal.
clearly
be, ditTerent
among
described
Nothing
Palaeolithic
ortuga
E
will
lhe Côa valley.
Luiz Oosterbeek
Tomar
P
a few examples
discovered,
their
B
Portuguese
importance
kn
c~lleagues
intelligently
and
.
h
. an d mo d esty, th e p 1ace now t ak en b y t h ..IS art wlt h m
c 1anty
.
t
ma
RAR20-634
Igm
a history
pean
*
le
manner.
so rich,
ut
complex
Palaeolithic
kilometres
we
ow
ow
and durable
to
which
extends
across
thousand
years.
Professor Marcel Otte
wlt
as that of lhe Euro-
and over thirty
Université deLiege
measure,
ten thousand
h
ServicedePréhistoire
Rock Art Research
2003
-Volume
20. Number J. pp. 53-68.
J. ZILHÃO
Placedu XX Aoíit 7 BâtAI
B -4000Liege
Belgium
E-mail:Marce/.Otte@u/g.ac.be
Professor
AlanWatchman
Department
of Archaeology
andNaturalHistory
Research
SchoolofPacificandAsianStudies
RAR20-635
Australian National University
.Canberra,
63
search,conservationand managementis unchallenged.
ACT 0200
Australia
E-mail: A/an. [email protected]
Fact and fiction in lhe Côa valley
RAR20-636
By ALAN WATCHMAN
.and
.tecting
A major problemwith this paperis trying to sift the grains
offact from the chaff offiction. Withouta backgroundand
understandingafilie Côa controversy,especiallythe independentscientific dating projects,the paperis believable.
However,the biasedreporting oftheage ofthe rock carvings leadsthe informed readerto suspectthat otheraspects
ofthe papermay not be critically represented.
Particularconcemsrelateto someinaccurateand misleadingstatements.For example,the contentionthat 'Rawmaterialproveniences(my emphasis)showthatthe region
was permanentlyinhabitedby humangroupswhich maintained geographicallyextensivenetworksof contact,circulation and exchange'is incomprehensible,illogical and
unsubstantiated.How canthe sourceof earthmateriaIsindicatelevels ofhuman occupationin an area?
Describingthe rock art as Palaeolithic,but thensaying
thatthe motifs 'seemto dateto the Gravettianandthe Solutrean' gives a glimpse asto the uncertaintyin Dr Zilhão's
mind aboutthe real age of the carvings.Could they also
seemto dateto a muchmore recentperiod?
Labelling some of the carved animais' species' as
'aurochsen' and 'ibex' reflects biased personalopinion.
They could also be cows andgoats!
The uncritical conviction that 'some very largefigures
are certain/ynotrelatedto habitation.This mustbethecase,
for instance,with the group of three "aurochsen"...' revealspassionatebelief from personalinterpretationof the
carvings,but without any substantiveevidence.Thereare
other biasesand errors, but to counterthem individually
establishesthe paperas credible, which it is noto
Arguments concemingthe probableage of the carvings have beenproposedand debated.In 1995,during the
political controversyin Portugal,manypeoplebelievedthat
the dam shouldbe stoppedbecausethe petroglyphswere
Palaeolithic. The old age was the key reasonwhy they
neededto be savedfrom flooding. The scientific analyses
carried out by RobertBednarik (1995a)and1 (Watchman
1995)to estimatethe ageofthe so-calledPalaeolithiccarvings provided a much youngerperspective.Dom (1997)
Phillips et aI. (1997) have provided support for the
Palaeolithichypothesis.However,the decisionaboutprothe Côa valley carvings was made by the Portuguese govemmentbased on the findings of a UNESCO
panelof experts,who believe that stylisticallythe carvings
are Palaeolithic. It is for this reasonthat there is now a
UNESCO-sponsoredWorld Heritage archaeologicalpark
and tourism in the Côa valley. The need for ongoing re-
Questions
for
Dr Zilhão
By ROBERT G. BEDNARIK
1 am grateful to Dr Zilhão for offering bis views on the
researchand managementof the Côa petroglyph corpus
for discussion.However,bis reportcontainsmanyinaccuraciesthat must not go unchallenged.Somerelate to matters that one can argue about,being matters of opinion;
someconcemseriousomissionsthatneedclarification; and
somecannotbe arguedaboutbecausethey are mattersof
facto
But first somepoints of agreement.Dr Zilhão mentions
the plannedbut 'somewhatdelayed' museumat the Côa
dam site. Its constructionhas been forcefully demanded
by IFRAO (to preventrecommencement
of dam construction), mostespeciallyby JackSteinbringin 1998.But ominously these delays continue, and as of early 2003 the
museumproject has not progressedat alI. There is a privately owned,very well presentedmuseumat Quinta da
Ervamoira,within the Park,built after 1995and fully completedin 1998.And concemingthe wines producedat that
property,1 do agreewith Dr Zilhão that they are superb.
1 can also agree unreservedlyon the question of the
broadeffectsof the Côa campaign.Campaignersfor preserving rock art anywherein the world cantake note that
100%of a sampleof Portuguesehigh schoolstudentsand
97% of the generalpopulation knew about the rock art.
This extremelyhigh leveI of awarenessis without doubt
attributableto the IFRAO campaignled by Mila Simões
deAbreu.It demonstrates
thevalueand potentiallong-term
benefitsfor rock art protectionof conductinghigh-profile
mediacampaignsof this kind.
Matters ofopinion
Dr Zilhão suggeststhat, 'originally, thevalley's Palaeolithic representationswere colour-treated',based on bis
identificationof 'red paint' onone 'aurochsen'petroglyph
at Faia.This illustratesbis loose applicationof deductive
reasoning.He ignoresthe dearthof paintedpetroglyphsin
authenticPalaeolithicrock art (i.e. the Franco-Cantabrian
cave art) and generalisesfrom one instanceto the whole
corpus.He fails to showthat what he set;Son the Faia figure is indeed paint residue,here or in bis other publications. But mostimportantly,howdoeshereconcilethecomplete and globallack of any Pleistocenepaint residueson
exposedrock surfaceswith bis extraordinaryclaim thatthe
"'
-
64
RockAr' Research2003 -Volume10. NumberI. pp.53-68. J. ZILHA-O
'red paint' he perceivesonthe Faiaimageis ofthe IceAge? tors cannotbe treatedasmeremattersof opinion.
His claim amountsto the propositionthatthis onefigure is
the world's only instance of surviving Pleistocenepaint
traces on an exposedrock panel. I reject it as extremely
unlikely, and provided that what he claims to be paint is
indeedapplied pigment,this would very strongly imply a
late Holoceneantiquity.
The admissionthat, '[F]rom a stylistic point of view,
the Palaeolithic art of the Côa presentssome significant
novelties,rare or unknown in Franco-Cantabrianparietal
art' indicates that even Dr Zilhão himself finds it hard to
reconcilemanystylistic elementsat Côa with bis preferred
interpretation.I had arrived at the samefinding in April
.
"
1995, when I stilI 'shared the stylistic conviction of my
colIeagues'and when I was stilI 'confident that the Côa
valIey art wilI eventualIYbe shownto be of Palaeolithic
age' (Bednarik 1995b),but was sufficientlyalarmedto calI
for scientific dating work. Insteadof admitting that many
if not most of the Côa zoomorphsare not of authentic
Palaeolithicstyle or treatment,Dr Zilhão presentsus with
more personalopinions. Their attitudesindicate 'mating'
and 'drinking scenes',he says,as ifhis visual perception
could provide a measureof what a Palaeolithicartistperceived. He telIs us which specieswere depicted,as if he
had communicatedwith the artists.AlI ofthis belongsinto
the realm of archaeologicalmythology, or Bahn's (1990:
75) 'consensusfiction' ofthe pastoIt hasno scientific currency,exceptfor the study ofDr Zilhão's own visualperceptionand cognition. But his creativeinterpretationsdo
not end here, he has even worked out the purposeof at
leastsome of the motifs: they were territorial markers.At
this stageI think we havewelI and truly arrived in the realm
of sciencefiction.
Evenif we do admitthe possibility that contemporary
Westem perceptioncan determineanimal speciesin ancient rock art, it soonbecomesapparentthat Dr Zilhão's
'identifications' are of no value to bis case.Aurochsen,
horses,ibex, deer,fish and chamoisalI occurredin the region in the Historical period,while typicalPleistocenespeciesare completelyabsentat alI the schistsites-as arethe
mosttypical Palaeolithicmotifs,the so-calIedsigns.Moreover, the bovids at Côa,SiegaVerdeand alI otherIberian
schistsitesclaimedto be Palaeolithiclook to me like modem cattle breeds,including Spanishfighting bulIs, and
Caprasp. stilI survive in the region,contraryto Dr Zilhão's
claims.Dr ThomasWyrwolI (2000)hasconvincinglydemonstratedthat the ibex-like Côa figures Zilhão claims are
Pleistocenecloselyresemblethe coatmarkings on an extant species(Fig. 1). Horse imageslike the ones at these
sitesoccurin their thousandsin the area,in clearlymodero
contexts(Hansen1997).
The shrilI claims flaunting the importanceof bis Côa
work are arguablyirrational,and they seemto ilIustrateDr
Zilhão'spreoccupation.For instance,bis beliefthatthe 'Côa
finds ...crown a Copemicanrevolution', that they are as
Matters offactual distortion
According to Dr Zilhão, the existence of the Côa
petroglyphs'was officialIy announcedby the responsible
authorities' in November1994. This is incorrect. In late
November1994,two IFRAO Representatives(Abreu and
L. Jaffe)were askedby N. Rebanda,a consultingarchaeologistwho had conductedsurvey work on behalf ofthe
Côa dambuilders for years,to inspectthe Canadado Inremo rock art site. Until thenthis discoveryhad beenkept
confidential.Abreu immediatelynotified IFRAO and beganorganisingthe campaignto stopthe damoIFRAO published a report aboutthe issue in the samemonth (!), November1994(Bednarik1994a),and it was only in the face
of intemationalcensureorchestratedby IFRAO that the
'responsibleauthorities' admitted in early 1995that they
had concealedthe existence of the rock art for years
(Bednarik1995c).Dr Zilhão avoids alI referenceto Abreu
and her superhumanendeavoursto savethe Côa rock art,
andhealgoavoidsalI referenceto IFRAO's role in the Côa
campaign.This is a seriousdistortionofthe historicalfacts.
The abandonmentof the Côa dam was alreadya fait accompli by June 1995,when I was in the valIey and had
detaileddiscussionswith EDP engineers.I learnt that an
altemativesite had beenchosenalready,and althoughits
locationwas notdisclosedto mewe know todaythat it was
the SaborvalIey. (Now, here is a subjectDr Zilhão could
addresswith authority,his role in the EDP's concealment
ofmost ofthe rock art in the SaborvalIey during the years
he presidedoverthe IPA.)The political processwassomewhat slower,but the decisionof November 1995,by the
new govemment,was a foregoneconclusion.
Dr Zilhão claims thatno membersof the typical Pleistocenefaunadepictedin the caveart occurredsouthofthe
Ebro 'at the time'. His chronologicalqualificationis itself
interesting,sincehedoesnot specify'the time' (Solutrean?
important as 'the revelation ofAltamira', or bis entirely
unrealisticplans to cater for 200 000 annualvisitors and
his falsifying ofprevious visitor numbersalI indicatea capacity for unwholesomegrandiosity.Theseand otherfac-
Gravettian?Magdalenian?),butconcemingtheFinalPleistocenefaunaoflberia he doesneedto consultthe palaeontologicalliterature. For instance,Coelodontaantiquitatis
(Kurtén 1968:Fig. 60),Pantheraspelaea,Crocutacrocuta
Figure 2. Zoomorphicpetroglyphfrom Regoda Vale
(on left, adaptedfrom Zilhão et ai. 1997)and
drawingofCapra ibex victoriae, a Holocenesubspecies(after Englãnder1986).
.
.
Rock Art Research 2003 " Volume20, NumberI, pp. 53-68. J. ZILHA"O
and Ursus spelaeuscertainly occurred south of lhe Ebro
(e.g. Altuna 1972, 1973;Cadeo 1956),and lhe latter species even in Portugal (at Fuminha and Salemas;Musil
1981).
Similarly, Dr Zilhão's graspof relevant geologyhas
alreadyled to bis severemisinterpretationof lhe results
.from
lhe Fariseuexcavation.He continuesto ignore bis
own statementthat lhe presumedlithic artefactsfrom that
site are alI from colIuvial strata(and hencehaveno strati.grap~ic
contex~)(Anon. 2000). Not only hashe.ma~ethis
cardmal errar m.the fir.st p~ace,appare?tlyh~ lS stllI not
a~arethat colIuvlaldetrituslSo~nostratl~aphlCr.elevance.
It lSlhe very
nature
of a ColIuvlum
rt compnses
components
ofwildly
different
agesandthat
is therefore
totalIy
irrelevantfor dating.Moreover,in lhe yearssincelhe Fariseu
excavationhe has failed to reporta single radiocarbonor
luminescencedate from that site, which othershavepredicted would contain only recentlake sediments(Abreu
and Bednarik2000). This is a crucial factor in lhe Côadebate and Dr Zilhão must make bis dating results from
Fariseupublic-even thoughthese'GravettianandMagdalenian' sedimentsare probablylessthan twenty yearsold
becausethey were formed since lhe establishmentof lhe
PocinhodamoAfter alI,he informedus in 2000thatNorbert
Mercier had sampledlhe site for OSL analysis,so where
arelhe results?We also needto seeilIustrationsofthe socalled stoneartefactsfrom Fariseu,and of lhe 'pebbleengravedon both sideswith geometricalstylisedanimalmotifs that have paralIels in lhe Azilian of France' (Anon.
2000). The lithic sample from that site, we were told in
2000, 'is not big enoughto allow a precisediagnosticof
lhe assemblage',yet hereZilhão statesunambiguouslythat
it consistsof Gravettianand Magdaleniantools. Bearing
in mind that no datesof any descriptionhave beendisclosed from Fariseu(Aubry et aI. 2002)and that no tools
havebeenpresented,lhe claim for its antiquityis spurious.
Dr Zilhão's distortions of lhe political aspectsof lhe
Côa campaignalsorequirea response.As he wrestedcontrai ofthe campaignfromAbreu during 1995,he madelhe
preservationof lhe rock art conditional on acceptanceof
bis hypothesisof its Pleistoceneage.A socialscientistwho
thoroughly analysedlhe public campaignconcludedunambiguouslythat'lhe political natureofthe archaeologists'
strategyinfluenced their scientific discourse'(Gonçalves
1998: 18). To preservetheir claim that lhe rock art is of
Palaeolithicagetheytied its preservation
to this ageclaimand in fact demandedthat it mustbe preservedbecauseit
is of Palaeolithicage.This fundamentalerrar of strategy
has haunted Dr Zilhão ever since,as bis grotesquereactions to lhe almostidenticalGuadianaissueamplydemonstrate (Zilhão 2001). Concemingthis destructionof lhe
.largest
rock art complex in Portugal,and one of Europe's
greatest,lhe responsibilityfor this monumentalact of vandalism rests squarely with Dr Zilhão. It is immaterial
.whether
hedid not know aboutlhe rockart'sexistenceprior
to April 2001,ashe claims,or did conspirewith othersto
have it destroyedby lhe largestman-madelake ofEurope.
It is beyonddisputethat he was responsiblefor its protection and that he failed completelyin this duty.Thereis no
65
doubtthathe could tell us a greatdealaboutrock art managementin Portugalfrom 1996to 2002,but we should not
expectthatwe will evergetto know lhe whole truth about
therock artofthe Sabor,Guadiana,ar, forthat matter,lhe
Côavalley. Dr Zilhão haspresidedoverlhe world's greatestbungle in public archaeologyfor half a century, that
muchis obvious.
Afew questions
Muchafilie presentpaperresemblesDr Zilhão's rhetoric ofrecent years,so it mar be preferableto presentspecific questionsfor him to dealwith in bis reply. I would be
mostquestions:
gratefulto him ifhe could addresslhe folIa Wl.ngspecific
1. He has conductednumerousexcavationsat lhe bases
ofCôa petroglyphpanels,seekingmotifs thathad been
coveredby sedimentoWith lhe exceptionof lhe infamaus Fariseusite, where lhe panelswere covered by
recentsediments,this effort was entirelyunsuccessful.
In alI of thesemanyexcavations,why was there not a
singlestonetool reportedthathad beenusedin making
thesepetroglyphs(Swartz 1997a,1997b;cf. Bednarik
1994b)?
2. After excavatinghundredsoftrenchesatdozensof sites,
why have no faunal remains,human remains,typical
UpperPalaeolithicstonetools,palynologicalor proper
sedimentarydataeverbeenreported?
3. Dr Zilhão makeslhe point thathe hasexcavatedmany
hearthsat Côa sites.If that is so, why hasno radiocarbondateeverbeenreportedfrom lhe Côa valIey (other
than Watchman'sand Dom's direct datesfrom lhe art
panels,and Zilhão's one sample from lhe Penascosa
terraceof about 1000BPthatrefutedbis own claim that
it is a Pleistocenefeature)?
4. How doesDr Zilhão explainthatmicrolithic stonetools
he defines as Palaeolithic occur stratigraphicalIytogetherwith ceramicsat alI levels at Quinta da Barca
and at mostlevels at Cardina 1 (Carvalho et ai. 1996;
Zilhão 1997),lhe two principal occupation sites he
claimsare Palaeolithic?
5. How does he reconcile lhe completeabsenceof any
Pleistocenesedimentdeposit in lhe lower part of lhe
valIeywith bis claim thathehasdemonstratedlhe presenceofPalaeolithic occupationsites?
6. How doeshe reconcilebis view that alI zoomorphson
lhe Côa are of Palaeolithicage with lhe determination
of othersthat someor manyof them were made with
metaltools (Eastham1999;Bednarik 1995d)?
7. Is he willing to withdraw bis claim that ibex did not
existin lhe regionduringlhe Holocene(WyrwoI12000)?
8. Why doesan equinemotif at Fariseuwhich he places
in lhe Gravettianappearto wear a bridle (Abreu and
Bednarik2000)?Is he suggestingthat lhe Gravettians
had domesticatedhorses(Fig. 2)?
9. How doeshe explain that thosezoomorphshe claims
are Palaeolithicare usualIy much less weatheredand
patinatedthan inscriptions of lhe 18th century at lhe
samelocalities (Bednarik 1995d)?
66
Rock
Art
Research
1003
-Volume
10, Number
I, pp,
15.How
does
fluvial
where
ing
16.
53-68,
on
he
account
wear
on
they
occur
does
he
within
of
almost
up
river's
rock
the
10
flood
of
zone,
alI
of
and
per
of
alI
be-
1995d)?
hydrate
mm
lack
petroglyphs
(Bednarik
survival
that
to
complete
Palaeolithic
the
soft
surfaces
at a rate
the
supposedly
explain
schistose
i.e.
for
the
exceedingly
How
on
J, ZILHÃO
this
rock
recede
art
rapidly,
milIennium
(Bednarik
.
2001b)?
17.
How
does
Dr
instances
Zilhão
where
dissect
lichen
ring
over
thalli,
How
he
petroglyphs
Figure
2.
Detail
head
with
How
does
of equine
bridle,
figure,
F ariseu
suggestive
of a horse
petroglyph
site.
19.
he
patination
4 as
11.
If
on
welI
this
as
the
Why
do
in
deed
Why
Fig.
Since
Côa
the
bis
in
Fig.
the
petroglyphs
welI
does
it
Palaeolithic
of
20.
distribution
with
does
he
now
petroglyph
sites
of
milIs
distribution
water
equine
motif
explain
is
not
of
the
I
~
~
that
the
very
Palaeolithic
-
U
-
similar
I
How
coof
~
does
ofthe
-L:::::::::".-
-C:l.-
by
How
Jaffe
does
rock
art
have
any
~
P'
he
in
IJ
,
'
-
ij
O
-1
:
I
~
n
~
~
t.iJ
..ltvmg
t1
~
-,
O
-~-~
_!_)
in
else
in
the
leveI
of
have
no
dates,
3.
A selection
excavated
Most
are
at
are
from
assemblages
1997-and
from
oftwenty-two
Côa
sites,
claimed
Cardina,
Quinta
da
of lhe
Carvalho
stone
lhe
Barca.
region.
et
ai.
to
be
Palaeolithic.
four
closest
They
resemble
(Adapted
1996.)
to
from
lhe
scale
Côa
bovids
a
he
age
Bahn
1994,
which
Palaeoli~hic
flimsy
evidence
Zilhão
not
tolerate
tion
ofthe
in
the
of
the
Does
to
he
we
corpus
world,
In
the
Côa
occupation
faunal
or
Pleistocene
we
or
human
OSL
remains,
stone
sedlments,
garoe
valIey
carbon
Pala~olithic
IS
antlq-
on
the
on
acc~pt
anywhere
based
proof!
reflect
w~uld
Plelstocene
no
tools.,
no
unamblgu-
human
occupation
;1~7~~~~~:
no
sedlmentary
as
a
very
in
Côa
data,
and Whatprobably
has
no
so
archaeological
smalI
far
no
evi-
number
of
(Fig.
age
anywhere
were
of
else.
3),
Even
demonstrated,
Portugal
were
To
a rock
.
northem
valIey
ceramics.
absurd
the
valIey
de-
:::iem~:~~~i~~::~~~:o~~~~~~~~:~
with
is
Neolithic
readers
Pleistocene
polIen
analyses,
hearths.
I
together
as
destruction
valIeys?
pr~sented
~
found
art
art
no
dence
and
destruction
rock
~:~;::'r~~~tr:::~~h~C
o~
1993),
the
for
~ical
--been
~
implements
age
rock
elsewhere
Figure
of
the
clalm
Plelstocene
,
the
point:
floor,
" ~
in
Côa
I ask
a
no
I
role
fo!lowin?
of
, \~
'-~-
of
age
Holocene
cf.
Guadiana
uity
m
A~
-~_t
and
work
regrets?
ous
'til
-,::
some
the
ofthe
role
a similar
-lIJ-
m
--
that
own
and
th~
-~-
~
with
1995;
alI
bis
Sabor
-~-
8
bis
explain
i
",
-"
~
pos-
2000)
the
this
with
FinalIy,
c1f
--Y
-Ca.-
Castro
cannot
is
corpus
claim
of
retrospective
-L::..-
-
equine
(Bednarik
(Zilhão
view
I
D
Verde
reconcile
art
latter
',~
Q
Siega
of
near
(1996)?
the
--~~
--",
walI
bovids
,o<.sf
~
-~-
hundreds
he
bis
value
--;
b.
size,
art?
j J
:
in
centuries?
population
Lascaux
scientific
scribed
1983)?
W
.
occur-
1 995b)?
Mazouco
(Baptista
three
times
does
reconcile
the
in-
lines
thalIi
stone
of
rock
Côa
he
for
22.
he
the
does
suggested
centuries?
How
for
How
speciesthat
or
numerous
centimetres
or
the
local
nearby
only
ofCôa
the
similar
certain
times,
the
how
resemble
Historical
for
Roman
of
signs?
into
largest
a few
two
2-km-long
than
Palaeolithic
feature
of
corpus
shepherds,
claims
south-
21.
the
older
opinion
recent
completely
art
are
engraved
the
only
age
petroglyph
be
the
very
so-calIed
region
(see
of
2)?
why
of
absence
petrog1yphs
Palaeolithic,
the
exactly
recent
complete
today?
does
incide
~
above
typical
the
until
the
Fariseu
is
the
for
ofthe
Europe,
existed
14.
the
most
westem
13.
alI
corpus
lack
12.
account
a
there
1997)?
sibly
10.
an
account
on
(Hansen
that
are
to
does
that
Palaeolithic
and
petroglyphs
corresponding
18.
explain
supposedly
and
art
if
in
nearly
claim
to
(Silva
alI
that
deduce
from
is something
we
a Palaeolithic
it would
cases
they
are
such
would
occupastilI
not
fol-
.
Rock Arl Research 2003 -Volume 20. NumberI. pp. 53-68. J. ZILHA'O
low that any rock art present must also be of such age.
on the Upper Paleolithic. Current Anthropology 32: 71-6.
This is not lhe first time Portuguese archaeologists have
made unsupported Pleistocene age claims for rock art. The
fE
I .
h
P
1
.1
M'ddl
cave
P 1 o I. scoura m sout em ortuga contams on y 1 e
h.
d N I h ...
d
(L
.AHN,.
a aeo
lt
lC an
eo
lt
lC occupatlon
eVl
ence
ejeune
.,
1997), yetttsrockarthas
longbeenclalmed(andaccepted)
being ofthe UpperPalaeolithic.
80 here we have a case
where rock art antiquity was accepted on lhe basis of a
of corresponding occupation evidence, whilst on lhe
Côa, Zilhão tries lhe opposite approach. Perhaps archaeologists need to understand that neither thepresence nor
lhe absence of occupation horizons demonstrates lhe age
of any rock art that happens to occur at the same vicinity.
.
.as
.lack
A
In
lhe
f
Coa
1
case,
they
have
yet
to
fi
..
demonstrate
.
.BAPTISTA,
exlstence
lhe
40
b
th
Robert G Bednarik
Editor, RAR
RAR20-637
d
o
accor
"th
aoce
WI
t
s
d
ao
dRAR
ar
r
po
D
ICY,
Z'lh-
r
h
I
ao
[ROB]
BAHN, P. O. 1994. Lascaux: composition or accumulation?
Zephyrvs 47: 3-13. [ROB]
B
P 1995 C
.th out t he caves. Antlqulty
..
69 ' 231 7
a.
ave art WI
.-.
B
P G 1995b Th
t f d. t d t.
P I
I.th.
AHN, ..e
Impac o Ifec a mg on a aeo I IC
cave art: Lascaux revisited. Anthropologie 33: 191-200.
[ROB]
BAHN,P. 200 I. Palaeolithic open-air art: the impact and implications of a 'new phenomenon'. Lespremiers hommes modernes
de Ia Péninsule /bérique. Actes du Colloque de Ia Comission
VI/Idel'U/SPP,pp.155-160.
Vila Nova de FozCôa, Octobre
1998, Trab.alho~ de Arqueologia 17, Instituto Português de
ArqueologIa, LIsbon. [MSA]
'
da C
(V I N
d F C' ) A
I
. 8.
[ROB]
BAPTISTA,A.M. 1999. No tempo sem tempo. A arte dos caçadores
paleolíticos do Vale do Côa. Parque Arqueológico do Vale
do Côa, Vila Nova de Foz Côa.
BAPTISTA,
A. M. 200 I. The Quaternary rock art of the Côa valley
(Portugal). In Les premiers hommes modernes de Ia Péninsule
/bérique, pp. 237-252. Actes du Colloque de Ia Comission
VIII de I'UISPP, Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Octobre 1998,
Trabalhos de Arqueologia 17, Instituto Português de Arqueologia, Lisbon.
A.
M.
1983.
O
complexo
de
gravuras
rupestres
do
Vale
'
asa
O. P elst.oc~ne o~cupatlon
oors ma
-m zo~e a ove e
nver (wlthm WhlCh lhe rock art occurs), but wlth the complete absence of Pleistocene sediments in that zone that
might be very difficult to do.
I
67
-I
a
ova
e
oz
oa.
rqueo
ogla.
57-69
.
BAPTISTA,A.M.andM.V.OOMESI995.ArterupestredoValedo
as
beco asked to respood to these commeots. Regretfully
we have oot received a reply at the time of goiog to press.
Aoy respoose received from him will appear io the oext
issue of RAR.
Côa.
I.
Canada
do
Inferno.
Primeiras
impressões.
Trabalhos
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