The study of Palaeolithic art is “one of the few tools we have to find out about the culture and society of prehistoric groups,” said Blanca Ochoa, researcher in the UPV/EHU’s department of Geography, Prehistory and Archaeology. Knowing who the representations were meant for “could indicate the intended use of cave art for prehistoric groups: whether it was something for the whole group, shared by all its members, or whether it was limited to small groups, or even to just one individual,” she explained. In her research the aim was to specify whether there were any preferences in terms of choosing the spaces where the Palaeolithic representations were drawn or engraved in nine caves on the Cantabrian coast located in Asturias and Cantabria. “It is an aspect that has been analysed very little until now,” remarked the researcher. They developed an in-house methodology to analyse the visibility of the figures depicted, which covers not only variables relating to the space where they are located (room size, accessibility, presence of natural light etc.) but also characteristics relating to the depictions themselves: “The size of the works, the height they are at, and, above all, the technique used to execute them (painting or engraving) largely determines visibility,” said Ochoa. “The paintings are much more visible than the engravings, and even more so if the engraving is not very deep”.