Roman Cave in Eastern Iberia Yields 120 Inscriptions to a Goddess Called 'the Lady'

COVA DONES, SPAIN — Archaeologists working in eastern Iberia say they have found the largest collection of Latin cave inscriptions ever recorded in the Roman Empire, according to a report from AncientPages.com citing the University of Southampton. The site, Cova Dones, holds at least 120 inscriptions, where only 15 Roman examples were previously known.

The work was carried out by the DONARQ project, co-led by Dr. Aitor Ruiz-Redondo of the University of Southampton and the University of Zaragoza, with Dr. Virginia Barciela of the University of Alicante. The cave was already known for Paleolithic rock art, but excavations in 2024 reportedly revealed a Roman sanctuary more than 200 meters underground.

The writing is nearly invisible to the naked eye. The team therefore used high-resolution photogrammetric recording to bring out and separate the texts on walls and ceilings. Five votive inscriptions, the researchers say, show that visitors worshipped a goddess called Domina, "the Lady." Dr. Silvia Alfayé states that she bore a particular epithet, possibly connected with water, whose reading is still under study.

Preliminary readings suggest women took an unusually active part, writing vows without a mediator, in contrast to the male predominance at other known Roman sanctuaries. Dr. Sergio García-Dils holds that the concentration of inscriptions in one sector of the cave suggests a well-organized, structured cult.

Offerings recovered include jewelry, ceramics and spindle whorls, textile tools traditionally associated with women in antiquity. Dr. Barciela suggests the site's earliest recorded name, Cova de les Dones, or "Cave of the Women," may preserve a memory of a place long linked with women or with female supernatural beings.

Much of the cave remains to be investigated, and many inscriptions are still under study. Immersive virtual tours are planned for the public.