A cave in eastern Spain is revealing new clues about the ritual lives of Roman women, after archaeologists documented more than 120 Latin inscriptions — the highest number known anywhere in the Roman Empire — at an underground sanctuary. Five of the inscriptions mention a previously unknown goddess referred to simply as "the Lady."
Researchers unearthed the inscriptions during a 2026 excavation at Cova de les Dones (Cave of the Women), near Valencia on Spain's east coast. The discovery significantly expands the number of known writings from the site from 15 initially documented in 2024. The inscriptions mostly date to the first and second centuries A.D. and were found on the walls and ceilings of a deep cave chamber, which the researchers call the "Roman Sanctuary."
