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Date Published: 12/01/2026

30,000-year-old rock shelter in Murcia unveils ancient human life

Intact Paleolithic site in Santomera yields sharp stone tools and extinct animal bones from Homo sapiens times

Imagine digging just 20 minutes from Murcia and hitting a time capsule from 30,000 years ago. That's exactly what's happened at the La Capilla rock shelter in La Matanza, a hamlet in Santomera. The third excavation campaign there, led by Miguel Pallarés and Norma Fernández from the Santomera Heritage Association alongside the local council, has turned up a treasure trove of finds. Sharp flint tools for cutting, hunting, and skinning hides sit alongside perforated seashells used as ornaments, hinting at a people with real cultural flair.

Then there are the animal bones, equally thrilling: deer, horses, goats, birds and rodents that have long vanished from these parts. These remains not only show what was on the menu back then but also paint a picture of the Ice Age landscape and climate. Carbon-14 dating puts it all firmly in the Paleolithic era, letting researchers piece together daily life for those early groups.

Pallarés, the project's co-director and president of the Santomera Heritage Association, calls it "an almost uninterrupted archaeological sequence spanning from the Middle Paleolithic (between 40,000 and 100,000 years ago), including Neolithic and protohistoric stages, to the present day." Mostly, the tools point to Homo sapiens occupation, though some Neanderthal-linked pieces turned up in mismatched layers. As he explains, "it cannot be scientifically stated that Neanderthals inhabited the site." Still, it's an exceptional archive for the Region's human story.

Not ready for visitors just yet, as the digs are ongoing. The team hopes to add signage and walking routes soon, much like at Santomera's Balumba site or the Las Muelas sepulchral cave.

Image: Patrimonio Santomera

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