Beyond 2,000 meters, first evidence of intense prehistoric occupation in the Pyrenees

Cave 338 is a high-altitude prehistoric site located at 2,235 m a. s.l. in the eastern Pyrenees (Queralbs, Girona, NE Iberian Peninsula). Excavated between 2021 and 2023, the site preserves an exceptional and well-stratified archaeological sequence documenting recurrent episodes of human occupation spanning from at least the early 5th millennium cal BC to the late 1st millennium cal BC. Radiocarbon dates indicate that these occupations occurred during several discrete phases separated by intervals of reduced or absent activity. The cave currently represents the highest-altitude prehistoric cave site with sustained occupation currently documented in the Pyrenees. The archaeological record reveals a dense succession of combustion features, abundant faunal and ceramic remains, and an extraordinary assemblage of green mineral fragments, most likely malachite, repeatedly introduced into the cave and processed in situ. This evidence indicates the systematic exploitation of copper-rich minerals in a high-mountain environment from the Late Neolithic to the Bronze Age, providing an unprecedented record for the Pyrenean range and one of the earliest high-altitude contexts of mineral exploitation documented in Europe. The organization of space, the density of combustion features and the nature of the associated activities indicate that Cave 338 was not a marginal or sporadically used shelter, but rather a repeatedly occupied logistical site integrated within structured seasonal mobility systems. These findings challenge prevailing interpretative models that characterize prehistoric occupations above 2,000 m.a.s.l. as ephemeral and low-intensity. Instead, Cave 338 demonstrates that alpine environments could play a central role in long-term prehistoric land-use strategies, particularly in relation to the exploitation of mineral resources. As such, the site provides a key reference framework for understanding high-mountain occupation, resource exploitation and mobility dynamics in the Pyrenees during later prehistory.