Preliminary Findings at the ‘Organ’sanctuary in the Cave of Nerja, Malaga, Spain

Summary. This paper covers two aspects of an unusual Palaeolithic sanctuary located in a small recess in the cave of Nerja. The first shows the way in which the artist or artists took advantage of a spectacular group of tilted and tightly packed folds in painting their sides, hollows and edges. The second stresses the musical effect obtained when striking the edges with a wooden stick, in the manner of a percussion or lithophone. Some edges have been broken at various heights of old and their worn appearance testifies to their repeated use. We believe the sound effect to have been part of some kind of ritual taking place deep inside the cave, which may have been associated with the painted signs and symbols.