Cuevas de la Araña en Bicorp

Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin *
UNESCO World Heritage Site
The "Man of Bicorp" holding onto lianas to gather honey from a beehive as depicted on an 8000-year-old cave painting near Valencia, Spain
Country	Spain
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iii
Reference	874
Region **	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	1998 (22nd Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List ** Region as classified by UNESCO

The Cuevas de la Araña (known in English as the Araña Caves or the Spider Caves) are a group of caves in the municipality of Bicorp in Valencia, eastern Spain. The caves are in the valley of the river Escalona and were used by prehistoric people who left rock art. They are known for painted images of a bow and arrow goat hunt and for a scene depicting an androgynous figure,^[1] sometimes called the "Man of Bicorp", climbing lianas and gathering honey from wild bees.^[2]

The dating of such art is controversial, but the famous honey-gathering painting is believed to be epipaleolithic and is estimated to be around 8000 years old.^[2]

The caves were discovered in the early twentieth century by a local teacher, Jaime Garí i Poch. They are included in the World Heritage Site Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin.

References

1. ^ Traynor, Kirsten. "Ancient Cave Painting: Man of Bicorp" (Web article). MD Bee. http://www.mdbee.com/articles/cavepainting.html. Retrieved 2008-03-12.  (This source assumes a palaeolithic date for the art, contrary to the current consensus)
2. ^ ^{a b} Ullmann, Fritz (2003). Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9783527303854. 

Coordinates: 39°06′36″N 0°51′51″W / 39.11°N 0.86417°W / 39.11; -0.86417