Magdalenian Rock Art and Early Christian Kingdoms

Magdalenian Rock Art in the Iberian Peninsula

During the Magdalenian period in the peninsula, two large areas of occupation existed where significant rock art developed:

• The Cantabrian Coast: In this region, inhabitants created figurative and polychrome art known as Franco-Cantabrian, which shows clear consistency with remains found in Southwest France. These paintings possessed a symbolic component, possibly acting as facilitators for hunting, representing animals such as bison, horses, and Cantabrian deer.
• Notable Sites: Key locations include the caves of El Castillo and Altamira in Cantabria (the latter known as the Sistine Chapel of Rock Art), Tito Bustillo and Pindal in Asturias, and Santimamiñe in the Basque Country. Carbon-14 dating has placed these paintings between 15,000 and 12,000 BC, corresponding to the Magdalenian III period.
• The Plateau and the East: In these areas, representations are more schematic with a clear sense of movement. Sometimes, they consist of simple signs of unknown significance. Examples are found in caves such as La Griega in Segovia, Los Casares in Guadalajara, El Niño in Albacete, and Reinos and Fosca in Alicante.

The Origin of the Christian Kingdoms

Pelayo's victory at Covadonga in 722, combined with the low interest shown by Muslims in the north of the peninsula, allowed for the independence that gave rise to the Kingdom of Asturias. Later, Ordoño II inherited estates in the Douro Valley and established the capital in León. Alfonso II continued territorial expansion to the Duero line, legitimizing this growth as a restoration of the old Visigothic Kingdom.

To the east, the County of Castile gained increasing autonomy from Leonese monarchs, eventually becoming an independent kingdom in the mid-11th century. In other eastern nuclei, following a brief Muslim occupation of Pamplona, Íñigo Arista (a descendant of the Banu Qasi) founded the Kingdom of Pamplona in 824. This was the origin of Navarre; by the early 11th century under Sancho III, the kingdom reached its maximum extension, coinciding with the decline of the Caliphate.

Further east, the Carolingian monarchy established the Marca Hispanica south of the Pyrenees after the victory at Poitiers. One such county was Barcelona, founded by Charlemagne. The union of Ramon Berenguer IV and Petronilla, daughter of the King of Aragon, involved the personal union of the Crown of Aragon and the County of Barcelona in the person of their son, Alfonso II of Aragon.