Tut de Fustanyà Confirms Human Occupations Dating Back More Than 40,000 Years in the Headwaters of the Ripollès Region

The archaeological excavation campaign carried out this June at Tut de Fustanyà, in the municipality of Queralbs (Ripollès, northeastern Iberia), has documented the first direct evidence of human occupation in this high-mountain cave. The discovery of a small hearth and a flint projectile point confirms the presence of human groups in this sector of the eastern Pyrenees during the final stages of the Pleistocene.

The work forms part of the research project Prehistoric Roots of Transhumance in the Upper Ripollès: Archaeological Project 2026–2029, directed by Carlos Tornero, affiliated researcher at IPHES-CERCA and Professor of Prehistory at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. The project aims to reconstruct human occupation in the headwaters of the Freser Valley from prehistoric times to the emergence of high-mountain pastoral practices.

A Window into the First Inhabitants of the High Pyrenees

Tut de Fustanyà has been known for decades, but until now it was considered to have been heavily affected by looting and the illegal extraction of archaeological materials. Despite this situation, the excavations have identified areas where intact archaeological deposits have been preserved.

The most significant discovery of the campaign is a small hearth associated with a flint projectile point, a tool characteristic of lithic technologies documented during the final stages of the Middle Palaeolithic and the earliest phases of the Upper Palaeolithic. Preliminary estimates place this occupation between approximately 42,000 and 39,000 years ago, a particularly significant period that coincides with the last Neanderthal populations and the arrival of the first Homo sapiens in Europe.

These findings make the site a key reference point for studying the earliest human occupations currently known in the headwaters of the Ripollès region and provide new evidence of human presence in high-mountain environments during a crucial period of European prehistory.

An Exceptional Site for Reconstructing Pleistocene Ecosystems

Beyond its archaeological evidence, Tut de Fustanyà stands out for the richness of its palaeontological record. Excavations have recovered numerous remains of species that are now extinct or absent from the region, including cave bear, hyena, horse and, most notably, the mountain leopard.

The remarkable abundance of this large felid, which is extremely rare in the European fossil record, suggests that the cave may have served as a refuge or breeding site during the coldest periods of the Pleistocene. This faunal assemblage offers an exceptional opportunity to reconstruct the landscapes and environmental conditions that characterised the eastern Pyrenees during the last glacial periods.

A Key Component of the Arrels Project

The results obtained this year reinforce the scientific potential of Tut de Fustanyà and consolidate its role within the Arrels Project, an initiative aimed at reconstructing the long-term history of human occupation in the headwaters of the Freser Valley.

The combination of archaeological, palaeontological and palaeoenvironmental evidence will contribute to a better understanding of the earliest human occupations in this territory and of the adaptive strategies developed by human groups living in the high-mountain environments of the Pyrenees.

Funding

The archaeological intervention at Tut de Fustanyà is part of the four-year research project Prehistoric Roots of Transhumance in the Upper Ripollès: Archaeological Project 2026–2029 (ARQ001SOLC-294-2025), funded by the Department of Culture of the Government of Catalonia.

The research is supported by the Department of Culture of the Government of Catalonia, the Queralbs Town Council, the Headwaters of the Ter and Freser Rivers Natural Park, and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.