Direct or indirect evidence of ropemaking are scarce in European prehistory. Only a few references to Middle or Upper Palaeolithic remains are known to us, with more examples towards the Holocene. The archaeological contexts of ropes offer little information about possible uses, as the activities they are used for are often archaeologically invisible. However, some rock-art traditions shed some light on potential uses, worth exploring. In Spain, Levantine rock art offers the best graphic examples across Europe showing various uses of ropes, including climbing. Starting from the recently discovered climbing scene of Barranco Gómez site (Teruel, Spain), including the best preserved and more complex use of ropes seen so far in Levantine art, this paper analyses representations of ropes in this art, as well as their varieties and diverse uses. Our study suggests that different rope-making techniques were used by Levantine societies, which we believe are indicative of a complex rope-making technology, requiring a considerable investment of time and efforts. It also shows a certain variety of rope climbing techniques and rope climbing gear, illustrating that both were mastered by Levantine societies. Moreover, a preferential use of ropes in honey-hunting scenes is observed.

在欧洲史前时期，制绳的直接或间接证据很少。我们只知道一些关于旧石器时代中期或晚期遗迹的记载，更多的例子是关于全新世的。绳索的考古背景几乎没有提供有关其可能用途的信息，因为它们所用于的活动通常在考古学上是不可见的。然而，一些岩石艺术传统揭示了一些潜在用途，值得探索。在西班牙，黎凡特岩石艺术提供了欧洲最好的图形示例，展示了绳索的各种用途，包括攀爬。本文从巴兰科戈麦斯遗址（西班牙特鲁埃尔）最近发现的攀爬场景开始，包括迄今为止在黎凡特艺术中看到的保存最完好且更复杂的绳索使用，分析了该艺术中绳索的表现形式及其品种和特征。用途多样。我们的研究表明，黎凡特社会使用了不同的制绳技术，我们认为这表明了复杂的制绳技术，需要投入大量的时间和精力。它还展示了一定种类的绳索攀爬技术和绳索攀爬装备，说明这两者都是黎凡特社会掌握的。此外，观察到在采蜜场景中优先使用绳索。