The natural wealth and pleasant micro-climate of the Oka river basin have resulted in the presence of human beings in the valley since prehistoric times. URDAIBAI has a great variety of historical and archaeological sites, some of which enjoy the status of Special Protected Areas (SPA’a). However, many of them do not have such status, and are not therefore promoted as public attractions: archaeological sites are extremely fragile, and only those properly protected can be opened to visitors. Even then, specialist guides are required in some cases.
Prehistory in URDAIBAI
The earliest evidence of human habitation of URDAIBAI dates from the Upper Palaeolithic (30,000-8,000 BC), with groups living preferably in caves. They were hunter gatherers and moved from one place to another in line with the availability of food. The art that has come down to us from this period denotes a highly complex code of beliefs and ideas. During the Epipalaeolithic and Mesolithic eras (8,000-4,000 BC) the climate improved and the human population of the URDAIBAI basin stabilised, based on the intensive exploitation of all the resources the area had to offer, including hunting, fishing, gathering of shellfish, picking of vegetables, etc. From the Neolithic (4,000 BC) onwards, the landscape of URDAIBAI gradually began to change as livestock farming and agriculture developed.
