High in the eastern Pyrenees, at an astonishing altitude of 2,235 meters (7,333 feet) above sea level, a remote cave known as Cova 338 has yielded evidence of intense, organized, and recurrent human occupation spanning over four millennia. Among the finds, a collection of crushed green stones, personal jewelry, and a child’s skeletal remains are shedding light on a sophisticated prehistoric community that repeatedly braved extreme alpine conditions to exploit valuable mineral resources.
The discovery, published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, challenges the long-standing archaeological consensus that high-mountain environments were merely marginal territories. Historically, researchers assumed that Neolithic and Bronze Age societies only passed through these high altitudes sporadically. Instead, the rich sequence of hearths and artifacts excavated at Cova 338 reveals a highly organized and planned exploitation of the Pyrenees, proving that these rugged peaks were fully integrated into the economic and seasonal mobility strategies of ancient Iberian populations.
- 4,000-Year-Old Arrow Reveals Bronze Age Violence in Spanish Pyrenees
- La Margineda: A Mountain Pass of Ages and Archaeological Gem
Archaeological excavation works inside Cova 338. (IPHES-CERCA)
The Secrets of the Green Stones
The most intriguing aspect of the excavation is the presence of nearly 200 fragments of an eye-catching green mineral, which preliminary analysis identifies as malachite. Malachite is a copper-rich carbonate mineral that does not occur naturally inside Cova 338. This means that prehistoric people intentionally transported these heavy green stones, along with fuel sources, up the steep slopes of the Freser Valley to process them inside the cave.
Archaeologists uncovered a total of 23 ancient hearths across multiple layers of occupation. Strikingly, many of the malachite fragments show clear signs of thermal alteration, while other materials within the cave do not. This deliberate use of fire strongly suggests that Cova 338 functioned as an early high-altitude copper-processing camp, where heat was applied to the green stones to initiate the smelting process.
According to Dr. Julia Montes-Landa, an archaeologist at the University of Granada and study co-author:
"Many of these fragments are thermally altered, while other materials in the cave are not, which clearly suggests that fire played an important role in their processing and that there was a deliberate intention behind it. In other words, they weren't burned by accident."
The overlapping yet distinct nature of these hearths indicates that human groups did not live in the cave permanently but returned to this exact spot season after season, generation after generation. Radiocarbon dating has revealed a remarkable timeline of use: the oldest charcoal fragments in the deepest layer date back 6,000 years, while the hearths in the third layer range from 5,500 to 4,000 years old. The second layer contains hearths from approximately 3,000 years ago, demonstrating an astonishing 3,000-year tradition of returning to this high-altitude sanctuary.
- Prehistoric Catalonia Burial Cave Reveals Over 4,000 Years of Use
- Miners in Iberia 5,300 Years Ago Had High Social Status and Rich Burials
Detail of the pendant made of Glycymeris sp. recovered during the excavations. (IPHES-CERCA)
A Child's Remains and Lost Jewelry
Beyond the industrial activities, Cova 338 has told some deeply personal stories from the Copper Age. In the third archaeological layer, researchers recovered human remains consisting of a baby tooth and a finger bone belonging to a child who was approximately 11 years old. While scientists cannot yet determine the cause of death or confirm if the bones belong to the same individual, the discovery raises the fascinating possibility that the cave's deeper, unexplored chambers may contain prehistoric burials.
In addition to the human remains, the excavation team recovered two beautiful personal ornaments from the prehistoric layers. The first is an elongated pendant crafted from a marine clamshell (Glycymeris), which has clear parallels at other contemporary archaeological sites in Catalonia, suggesting shared cultural traditions and trade networks between high-mountain communities and lowland settlements.
The second ornament is far more unique: a pendant made from a perforated brown bear (Ursus arctos) incisor. This rare item likely carried a deep symbolic or spiritual meaning, directly connecting the wearer to the formidable predators of the local alpine environment.
Pendant made from a bear incisor recovered during the excavation works at Cova 338. (IPHES-CERCA)
Redefining Prehistoric Mountain Life
The sheer effort required to operate this high-altitude camp cannot be overstated. Located in the protected Ter and Freser Headwaters Natural Park, the site is inaccessible by motorized vehicles, meaning modern archaeologists must hike up the steep mountain trails on foot, carrying all excavation equipment and recovered artifacts on their backs. For prehistoric families, making this trek with heavy loads of copper ore, fuel, and supplies would have required immense physical endurance, planning, and motivation.
This challenging high-altitude site demonstrates that the Pyrenees were not a marginal barrier to prehistoric communities, but a space fully integrated into their seasonal mobility strategies. The knowledge of Cova 338's location and its precious malachite deposits was carefully preserved and passed down through oral traditions across countless generations. As excavations resume this summer under the ARRELS project, researchers hope to locate the geological source of the mysterious green stones. The secrets of Cova 338 are far from fully revealed, and the quiet mountain cave continues to challenge our assumptions about the ingenuity and resilience of Europe's early metallurgists.
Top image: Malachite fragments, a mineral rich in copper, recovered during the excavation works at Cova 338. Source: Maria D. Guillén / IPHES-CERCA / Frontiers
By Gary Manners
References
Montes-Landa, J. 2026. 'They weren't burned by accident': burned stone, child's bones, and lost jewelry could reveal prehistoric mining camp high in the Pyrenees. Frontiers Science News. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/news/2026/05/05/burned-stone-childs-bones-lost-jewelry-prehistoric-mining-camp-pyrenees-frontiers-environmental-archaeology
Tornero, C., Díez-Canseco, C., Soler, R., Calvo, S., Delgado-Raack, S., Messana, C., Montes-Landa, J., Morales, J.I., Picornell-Gelabert, L., Soriano, E. and Carbonell, E. 2026. Beyond 2,000 meters, first evidence of intense prehistoric occupation in the Pyrenees. Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fearc.2026.1811493
