El Roc de les Orenetes resumes excavations at one of the most exceptional prehistoric funerary sites in the Pyrenees

A new archaeological excavation campaign is taking place between 8 and 22 June at the El Roc de les Orenetes site, located in the municipality of Queralbs (Ripollès, northeastern Iberian Peninsula). The work forms part of the research project Prehistoric Roots of Transhumance in the Upper Ripollès: Archaeological Project 2026–2029, directed by Carlos Tornero, a researcher affiliated with IPHES-CERCA and Professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

This year’s fieldwork aims to continue the excavation and study of one of the most important prehistoric funerary sites known in the Pyrenees. Located at more than 1,800 metres above sea level, El Roc de les Orenetes represents the high-mountain burial complex with the most extensive human record documented so far in this sector of the mountain range. Excavations carried out over recent years have identified the remains of more than fifty individuals buried inside the cave.

More than four thousand years of history preserved in a high-mountain cave

Radiocarbon dating indicates that the cave was used as a funerary space during two main periods. The first, and most intensive, occurred between 2400 and 2200 cal BC during the Late Chalcolithic. The second corresponds to a new phase of burials between 1550 and 1450 cal BC, during the Middle Bronze Age.

The exceptional concentration of human remains and their remarkable state of preservation make El Roc de les Orenetes a unique laboratory for studying the populations that inhabited the Pyrenees during later prehistory. Research conducted to date has provided valuable information on funerary practices, demographic composition, living conditions and the social dynamics that characterised these mountain communities.

Excavations carried out during recent campaigns have recovered thousands of human skeletal remains together with a variety of grave goods associated with the burials. This exceptional assemblage offers a unique opportunity to reconstruct fundamental aspects of life and death among the communities that inhabited the Pyrenean valleys more than four thousand years ago.

A key site for the study of prehistoric violence

The site has gained particular relevance within the scientific community due to the identification of numerous examples of interpersonal violence. Several osteoarchaeological studies have documented traumatic injuries consistent with episodes of conflict, making El Roc de les Orenetes one of the most important assemblages for investigating violence during the transition from the Chalcolithic to the Bronze Age in the Pyrenees.

Among the most significant discoveries is a flint arrowhead embedded in a human rib, dated to more than 4,000 years ago. Analysis of the injury demonstrated that the impact came from behind and that the individual survived for some time after receiving the wound, as evidenced by bone remodelling processes observed around the projectile point.

This finding constitutes one of the most exceptional direct pieces of evidence for interpersonal violence documented so far in prehistoric contexts in the Pyrenees and has helped establish the site as a reference case for the study of social conflict during later prehistory.

An interdisciplinary research project

The 2026 campaign involves an interdisciplinary team composed of researchers from IPHES-CERCA, the Autonomous University of Barcelona and other national and international research institutions. The project brings together specialists in archaeology, biological anthropology, ancient DNA, biogeochemistry, forensic archaeology and the study of archaeological materials recovered from the site.

This approach allows the necropolis to be investigated from multiple complementary perspectives. Genetic analyses contribute to reconstructing kinship relationships and biological origins; isotopic and biogeochemical studies provide information on diet and mobility; while anthropological analyses shed light on health, daily activities and injuries observed in the individuals buried within the cave.

At the same time, the study of objects deposited alongside the deceased—such as pottery, ornaments and other grave goods—offers insights into ritual practices and forms of social organisation developed by these Pyrenean communities during later prehistory.

Funding

The archaeological intervention at El Roc de les Orenetes forms part of the four-year research project Prehistoric Roots of Transhumance in the Upper Ripollès: Archaeological Project 2026–2029 (ARQ001SOLC-294-2025), approved by the Department of Culture of the Government of Catalonia.

The work is funded by the Department of Culture of the Government of Catalonia, the Municipality of Queralbs, the Headwaters of the Ter and Freser Rivers Natural Park, and the Autonomous University of Barcelona.