La Pólvora Cave

  • Town
    • Albanyà
  • Location
    • Currently reached by foot just after the Bassegoda shelter
  • Phone
    • 972 56 91 90
  • E-mail
    • albanya@ddgi.cat

The Pólvora cave is a cavern located on the east slope of the massif of the Alta Garrotxa, 760 m above sea level, carved into a limestone cliff on the left side of the Ferrer plateau, flowing from the River Muga. The cave is formed by two prolonged rooms located at different levels that are connected by four metre high overhangs. The cave was recognized as a deposit by the archaeologists A. Bosch and J. Tarrús amd excavated in 1994 by A. Bosch, M. Buch, R. Buxó, J. Casadevall, J. Mateu, T. Palomo and E. Tabernero. According to the excavation team, the oldest archaeological layer is from the Neolithic period (3320 - 3200 B.C. end of the Montboló phase), located in 6 ditches. The ceramic material found has very simple shapes. The next layer is from the beginning of the Bronze Age (2070 B.C.). The ceramic is decorated in printed cords. The most recent level of occupation of the cave is from the end of the Bronze Age (1000 - 800 B.C.). The ceramic is decorated with grooves and cuts. Unfortunately, the cave's use is still unknown.