🔥 A Cave in the Pyrenees, a true copper processing plant for two millennia

A cave in the eastern Pyrenees perched at an altitude of 7,332 feet (2,235 m) is believed to have served as a copper processing plant for two millennia.

Located in the Freser valley, cave 338 has yielded a surprising archaeological sequence. The excavations, carried out over an area of about 65 square feet (6 m²) near the entrance, revealed four occupation layers. The most recent, thin, contained historical remains. The oldest, about 6,000 years old, contained only charcoals. The most striking discoveries come from the second and third layers, where twenty-three hearths were counted, filled with fragments of crushed and burned green minerals.


These fragments resemble malachite, a raw material used in copper production. According to Carlos Tornero, professor at the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution, the repeated use of the site and the density of the remains indicate occupations of short to medium duration, but continuously renewed over long periods. Radiocarbon analyses show that the hearths in the second layer date to about 3,000 years ago, while those in the third layer date back to 5,500-4,000 years ago.

The human remains found in the third layer add a ritual dimension to the site. They consist of a finger bone and a baby tooth belonging to at least one child about 11 years old. Researchers cannot yet determine the cause of death nor confirm whether the two bones come from the same individual. However, the presence of these remains could indicate burials in the cave. Two pendants were also unearthed: one made from a seashell, the other from a brown bear tooth.



Julia Montes-Landa, from the University of Granada, specifies that the green mineral fragments are thermally altered, unlike other materials in the cave, indicating a deliberate use of fire for their processing. The superimposed hearths show that human groups returned repeatedly over long intervals. This discovery challenges the idea that high mountain environments were merely transit areas.

The pendants, especially the bear tooth one, are rare. Carlos Tornero explains that they come from prehistoric contexts, probably from the second millennium BCE. The seashell pendant has parallels at other sites in Catalonia, suggesting shared traditions or links between communities. The bear tooth pendant, much less common, may have a symbolic meaning related to the local environment.


Although cave 338 was not a permanent occupation, the repeated visits testify to its long-term importance. Archaeologists hope that future excavations will reveal more about the use of the cavity and the origin of the green mineral. The identification of malachite remains preliminary, and analyses are underway at the University of Granada and the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Excavations have not yet reached the total depth of the site, and work will continue this summer.