Man under investigation in Spain for pouring water on ancient cave paintings to get a sharper photo

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Spanish authorities are investigating a man who allegedly damaged cave paintings that are thousands of years old by pouring water on them in order to take better photos for social media.

A 39-year-old man from Los Villares, in Jaén province in Andalucia, southern Spain, uploaded photos of the wet paintings to Facebook, according to a statement from the Guardia Civil published on Saturday.

The paintings affected, which are in various locations in the Sierra Sur de Jaén mountain range, are protected on the country’s heritage register, and the man is under investigation for a crime against historical heritage, said the statement.

Officers from the Guardia Civil’s nature protection service (Seprona) launched an investigation in May after seeing the photos online.

“The photographs show that water has been poured onto the cave paintings, wetting them in order to see them better and capture a clearer image,” the statement reads.

The cave paintings were made on limestone, which contains water-soluble salts. When water is poured on the paintings, these salts dissolve and then come to the surface when the water evaporates, leaving a crust that causes “irreparable damage” to the paintings, according to the Guardia Civil.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/08/travel/spain-cave-paintings-vandalism-scli-intl/index.html