ABSTRACT
Only recently has it become possible to write a chapter on the Palaeolithic art of north-western Iberia. In the last two decades, the discoveries of a vast collection of mobiliary art, open-air preserved paintings and cave art have contributed to a better understanding of the local Gravettian period up to the Late Magdalenian. Whilst in Galicia these discoveries resulted from systematic academic research, in Northern Portugal they occurred mostly due to mitigation measures ahead of hydroelectric development-funded projects. This chapter will present and discuss the recent finds of Palaeolithic art in north-western Iberia, reflecting on the nature of depictions, whether naturalistic figurative or geometric character and consider the geographic and chronological distribution of the art. It will also reflect on the wider implications of mobility and cultural territories of the Upper Palaeolithic human groups inhabiting this region.
