Southern Iberian Rock Art: The Territory That Holds the Clues to Decipher the Whole Symbolic Path of Humanity

This article reviews key data in the context of the Strait of Gibraltar from the Iberian perspective: a region of significant importance that boasts the highest concentration of rock art sites containing prehistoric paintings and engravings spanning the full spectrum of human rock art, from its inception to the recent historic period. This area is of exceptional value for investigating the replacement of hunter–gatherer–fisher groups by tribal community societies over time, as well as the transition from Neanderthals to Homo sapiens on both sides of the Strait. Current understanding of this resource is analysed and the main threats to it are addressed alongside possible solutions.