The Cova des Càrritx cave is a natural cave found within the Algendar ravine. Both the cave and its contents have been well conserved until present day thanks to the fact that, soon after it was abandoned, the entrance was sealed by a large boulder that fell from atop the cliff.
It was not discovered until 1995, by two speleologists who discovered a small hole they believed could be the entrance to a cave.
The cave runs approximately 230 metres longitudinally and is divided into 7 halls that are interconnected by passages and galleries.
Schedule: This site is not open for visitation due to the geological and archaeological assets it contains.
Price:
Open: No
Access:
Car Park:
Guided tours: Visits can only be arranged for scientists and expert in the field.
Contact:
Services: No
Access for individuals with reduced mobility: No
More information See map
More information:
Dwelling-naveta settlements period
The first chamber is quadrangular and covers around 32 m2 and still shows its original cyclopean wall face used to protect the cave’s interior. This cave was used as a cemetery between 1450/1400-800 BC and numerous human bones and other archaeological materials were discovered inside.
The third chamber revealed a small hearth and two clusters of archaeological materials; one made up primarily of animal bones and stalactite fragments, and the other, of ceramic vessels (1600-1450/1400 BC).
Chamber 4 is separated from chamber 3 by a curtain of stalactites and stalagmites. It contained a number of scattered bones of the Myotragus balearicus goat, a bronze spearhead in a sort of orifice that measured 1.5 metres deep, and many vertical grooves made by human fingers in one of the clay outflows.
Chamber 5 is accessed by crawling through a steep and narrow branch found at the back of chamber 4, and was used to hide a deposit of wooden, ceramic and bronze objects, including receptacles used to hold locks of hair (1100-800 BC).
In chamber 6, a broken cup was found on the ground, as well as a small hearth with ashes that contained human foot and finger bones. A short distance away, near the wall, was a set of bones that represented a hand pointing toward the hearth. Inside a few cracks in the wall were the bones of human hands and feet, with fragments of stalactites that were similar in shape to the bones themselves (1600-1450/1400 BC).
In the last chamber, and the deepest point accessed by those individuals who utilised these areas during prehistory, and upon a ledge found in the natural rock, was a small ceramic pot with two nipple-like protuberances oriented toward the cave’s exit.
These represent truly exceptional finds that have provided invaluable information regarding the habits and customs of the island’s prehistoric population, especially with respect to death and funerary rites.
The excavations and subsequent research carried out by ASOME (Research Group in Mediterranean Social Archaeology) as part of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, allowed for the reconstruction of the ritual that involved the combing, dying and cutting of locks of hair, as well as the discovery and funerary applications of several objects.