They say that art is eternal. But not when an amateur photographer from Facebook gets involved

In the province of Jaen in southern Spain, police are investigating damage to ancient rock art caused by a local resident trying to take a spectacular photo for social media.

The 39-year-old man from Los Villares poured water on the 6,000-year-old rock paintings in the Sierra Sur de Jaén mountains in an attempt to improve their appearance for a photo he planned to post on Facebook. This act led to the damage of the priceless historical monument.

The cave paintings in the Sierra Sur de Jaén Mountains are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They have the same cultural value as Stonehenge or the Great Wall of China. These images are some of the oldest in the world, which indicates their exceptional historical significance.

Police launched an investigation in May when photos of the damaged paintings appeared on the Internet. The suspect was quickly found thanks to his own Facebook post, where he indicated his whereabouts.

Unfortunately, this is not the first case of vandalism of ancient art. In 2022, unknown persons painted an image of the Spanish flag on another cave painting nearby. A similar incident occurred in Australia, where damaged 3000-year-old rock paintings.

However, the biggest threat to ancient art is not vandals, but climate change. Rising sea levels make it difficult to access some caves with rock paintings. For example, in Southern France, there is a cave with images of prehistoric marine animals that can only be reached by diving. Due to rising sea levels, access to it is becoming increasingly difficult, and the tides are beginning to erase the drawings.

Source: Gizmodo