Coea Valley Rock Art Penascosa Panel 3
Coea Valley Rock Art Penascosa Panel 3 North Annex · Coea Site
Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)·Multi-period rock art·🇵🇹 Guardia, Côa Valley, Portugal
About
About Coea Valley Rock Art Penascosa Panel 3
Coea Valley Rock Art Penascosa Panel 3 in Guardia, Côa Valley, Portugal is a Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE) rock art attributed to Multi-period rock art. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal panel 12 m long × 3 m high and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 41.0810N -7.1160E controls access to Guardia resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey rock art for Guardia, Côa Valley, illustrating Multi-period rock art construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Meaning of iconographic motifs
- 02Dating of superimposed phases
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
- Period
- Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)
- Culture
- Multi-period rock art
- Purpose
- Rock art sanctuary and ritual landscape with petroglyphs/pictographs
- Rediscovered
- 1976 survey
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
Initial construction of Coea Valley Rock Art Penascosa Panel 3 main structure
c. 1916
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1976–2006
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Coea Valley Rock Art Penascosa Panel 3) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
41.0810° N · 7.1160° W · 192 m · 4 mapped features
Coea Valley Rock Art Penascosa Panel 3 — Main Structure
panelPrincipal rock art — Panel 12 m long × 3 m high with diagnostic masonry/panel
41.0818° N · 7.1151° WCoea Valley Rock Art Penascosa Panel 3 — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
41.0800° N · 7.1167° WCoea Valley Rock Art Penascosa Panel 3 — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with petroglyph panel extension
41.0825° N · 7.1148° WCoea Valley Rock Art Penascosa Panel 3 — Hydraulic/Cistern
hydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir or rock-cut channel associated with site
41.0794° N · 7.1171° W