New discoveries at Cova Gran de Collbató shed new light on Montserrat’s prehistoric occupations

The 2026 archaeological excavation season at Cova Gran de Collbató, located within the Montserrat Natural Park, has yielded new data that significantly expand our understanding of the prehistoric occupations of this emblematic site. The work, directed by Juan Ignacio Morales (IPHES-CERCA) and José Ramón Rabuñal (USC-CISPAC), has advanced the reconstruction of an exceptional archaeological sequence spanning from the Middle Palaeolithic to the Neolithic.

The intervention focused primarily on extending the excavation area further into the cave, where better preservation of the archaeological record and the possible survival of previously undocumented stratigraphic units were expected. At the same time, the research team continued deepening the stratigraphic sounding in order to complete the archaeological sequence of the site.

New Insights into the Last Hunter-Gatherers Before the Neolithic

Until now, Cova Gran de Collbató had yielded evidence of Early Cardial Neolithic, Epipalaeolithic and Magdalenian occupations, together with basal levels containing mainly palaeontological remains and occasional incursions by Middle Palaeolithic Neanderthal groups.

One of the most significant results of the 2026 season has been the documentation of new stratigraphic units located between the latest known Epipalaeolithic occupations, dated to around 11,200 years BP, and the Early Cardial Neolithic occupations, dated to approximately 6,400 years BP.

Although further specialist studies and new radiometric dates are still required, these units may preserve evidence of cave use during the Mesolithic. This period, corresponding to the last hunter-gatherer groups before the arrival of the first farming communities, remains poorly understood in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula.

These discoveries therefore open a particularly important line of research for understanding the processes of change that led to the establishment of the first Neolithic communities in the Montserrat area and, more broadly, across north-eastern Iberia.

First Evidence of Initial Upper Palaeolithic Occupations

Another major outcome of the excavation season has been the extension of the stratigraphic sounding towards the interior of the cave. This work has documented the presence of blade-based technologies characteristic of the Initial Upper Palaeolithic above Mousterian occupations attributed to Neanderthal groups.

These findings are of particular interest because they may provide new evidence concerning the arrival of the first anatomically modern humans in the Iberian Peninsula.

In this regard, Cova Gran de Collbató is emerging as a site with outstanding scientific potential for investigating, in future excavation seasons, the cultural and demographic dynamics associated with the transition from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic in north-eastern Iberia.

Reconstructing the Prehistoric Landscapes of Montserrat

The excavation season also involved researchers from the archaeobotany team at IPHES-CERCA, who carried out a sequential sampling programme for a range of archaeobotanical analyses.

These studies will provide information on vegetation, plant resource exploitation and the environmental conditions associated with the different phases of cave occupation. Integrating these data with archaeological, faunal, sedimentological and chronological studies will be essential for reconstructing the landscapes of Montserrat during the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene, as well as for gaining a better understanding of human adaptation strategies to these environments over time.

A Key Site for Understanding Montserrat’s Prehistory

The discoveries made during the 2026 excavation season reinforce the importance of Cova Gran de Collbató as one of the key archaeological sites for studying the prehistory of the Montserrat massif. The long sequence preserved within the cave, including occupations attributed to Neanderthal groups, the last hunter-gatherers and the first farming communities, offers an exceptional opportunity to reconstruct the evolution of human settlement in this territory over tens of thousands of years.

Funding and Institutional Support

Research at Cova Gran de Collbató is being carried out within the framework of the four-year project ARQ001SOLC-244-2025, Environmental Evolution and Human Adaptation to the Coastal and Pre-Coastal Landscapes of Catalonia During the Pleistocene (Llindars), funded by the Department of Culture of the Government of Catalonia.

The excavations receive institutional and logistical support from the Collbató Town Council and the Montserrat Mountain Board, in collaboration with IPHES-CERCA and the University of Barcelona. The 2026 season is also part of the collaboration agreement between IPHES-CERCA and the Collbató Town Council aimed at promoting research, conservation and public dissemination of the archaeological heritage of Cova Gran.

The excavation team included researchers from IPHES-CERCA, SERP–University of Barcelona, the Autonomous University of Madrid and the University of Santiago de Compostela–CISPAC, as well as students from the Archaeology degree programme at the Autonomous University of Madrid and the History degree programme at the University of Santiago de Compostela, further strengthening the project’s educational and interdisciplinary character.