CAVE OF DELIGHTS

A TREASURE trove of 15 thousand-year-old carvings, depicting dozens of animals, has been found in a cave in Tarragona province in north-east Spain. Around 100 carvings of animals including horses, oxen and deer, as well as mysterious abstract symbols, were discovered in a cave in the village of L'Espluga de Francolí. The ancient artworks, said to be amongst the oldest in the Mediterranean region, were officially unveiled last Friday, after being discovered in the wake of flooding last October. The engravings are said be extremely delicate, with archaeologists warning that even the slightest touch can damage them. Some of the figures have been eroded by the passage of time, and researchers are speculating that the cave may have contained even more figures that were washed away by erosion.