This five-part series, “The Honey Gatherer,” embarks on a multi-disciplinary expedition to the Cuevas de la Araña in Bicorp (Valencia), Spain, where ancient rock art depicting honey gathering offers a unique window into prehistoric life. As a Master Beekeeper and geo-storyteller, this expedition is both a deeply personal and professional pilgrimage. My fascination with honey gathering, as both a beekeeper and an everyday scholar, has always been intertwined with a strong desire to visit the Cuevas de la Araña firsthand. After several attempts and setbacks, I am finally on my way to this iconic site, where the art of honey gathering has been preserved in stone for millennia.
For this visit, I travel not only as a beekeeper but also as a cultural geographer, with an eye for how the landscape, environment, and spatial relationships of the site shape the ancient practice of honey gathering. Collaborating on this expedition is Sonia Ibáñez, a student of art history, whose perspective enriches our shared experience of interpreting the site’s rock art. Together, we blend our backgrounds in geography, history, and culture to explore the visual and symbolic narratives embedded in the artwork and those framed by museum curation.
This expedition goes beyond simply documenting or analyzing the rock art. It also explores the concept of what it means to “make” (not just take) an expedition, engaging with both the site and its modern-day interpretations. While our research is informed by our respective disciplines, we share a spirit of adventure—guided by performative archaeology, a method that emphasizes physical engagement with the site to unlock new understandings of ancient practices. This embodied approach will help us bring history to life in new and unexpected ways.
Beyond the exploration of the Cuevas de la Araña, we critically examine how the museum curation surrounding the site shapes, and sometimes limits, our understanding of the rock art. How does the presentation of these ancient practices influence the narratives we construct about the past? What stories are told—or overlooked—in the curation and display of this art? As we engage with the site and museum, we will reflect on how curatorial practices may reinforce or challenge existing assumptions about honey gathering and its cultural representation.
Ultimately, this expedition is about more than just analysis. It’s about experiencing the site, engaging with its environment, and critically examining how both the rock art and its interpretation shape our understanding of the ancient world. Through this series, we invite you to join us in this exploration, where multiple perspectives come together to reveal the complexity and beauty of honey gathering, while also examining how these stories are told and framed today.
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