For thousands of years, a small cave tucked high into the Pyrenees remained largely untouched, exposed to freezing temperatures and difficult terrain that still makes reaching it a demanding journey. At first glance, it hardly seems like a place where prehistoric communities would have chosen to spend time. Yet beneath its rocky floor, layer after layer of material is telling a rather different story. Burnt mineral fragments, traces of ancient fires, personal ornaments and scattered human remains all point towards repeated visits over an exceptionally long period. The site, known simply as Cave 338, is slowly changing archaeologists' understanding of how mountain landscapes were used during later prehistory. Instead of acting as isolated wilderness, these high elevations may have supported specialised activities that drew people back again and again across many centuries.
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