More than 200 meters (about 650 feet) underground, in a chamber where water collects in natural basins of mineral rock, Romans left the largest collection of Latin cave inscriptions known anywhere in their empire. Researchers announced in October that the inscriptions show a goddess called Domina, "the Lady," was worshipped there, and that women played an active role in her cult.

The site is Cova Dones, also called Cova de les Dones, or "Cave of the Women," near Millares in Valencia, Spain. A University of Southampton release issued Oct. 20 says the team has documented at least 120 Latin inscriptions, most probably dating to the first and second centuries A.D.

The findings come from early analysis and have been shared through university announcements, not yet through a named peer-reviewed paper. FOX Weather and others noted that a substantial part of the cave has not been investigated and many inscriptions are still being read.

A Karst Chamber Where Water Collects in Stone Basins

Cova Dones is a limestone cave shaped by water over vast spans of time. In the deep chamber researchers call the "Roman Sanctuary," the floor holds natural pools formed by mineral deposits. These basins catch water flowing through the cave system, and the team says they appear to have been places where visitors left offerings.

Pools like these typically form when water rich in dissolved calcium carbonate trickles across a cave floor and slowly deposits mineral rims that hold water in place. In a dark, deep chamber, a reliable supply of still water would have stood out — and it may help explain why this specific spot became sacred.

The cave opens on a cliffside above a ravine in the hills of inland Valencia, far from the coast. Researchers have suggested the sanctuary's dependable water, collected in pools that stayed full deep underground, may have been central to its religious role for the communities around it.

The researchers suspect the goddess was linked to that water. "This goddess had a specific aspect, perhaps related to water, the definitive interpretation of which we are currently working on," Silvia Alfayé, a professor of ancient history at the University of Zaragoza, said, as reported by Live Science.

The cave was used long before the Romans arrived. It holds the largest assemblage of Paleolithic rock art in eastern Iberia, and Iron Age materials were identified there in the 1960s. The hidden Roman chamber was revealed in 2024, when researchers first recorded about 15 inscriptions and a coin from the reign of Emperor Claudius.

Five Vows to "the Lady"

Of the 120 or more inscriptions, five are votive texts dedicated to Domina. Three of those also carry the word "MALACI," which researchers believe may be an unknown title or name for the goddess, and its meaning is still under study.

"Thanks to a group of five votive inscriptions, we can now state with certainty that, during the Roman period, worship was conducted inside the cave to a goddess reverentially referred to as Domina ('the Lady'), and that women played an active role in her cult," Alfayé said in the Southampton release.

Votive inscriptions were promises or thanks to a deity, often recorded after a prayer was answered. Finding several of them in one underground space, addressed to the same goddess, suggests an organized cult with repeat visitors rather than a one-time pilgrimage site.

The scale is unusual. The previous largest collection of inscriptions from a Roman cave sanctuary, at La Griega, held 107 texts, and only one named a woman. At Cova Dones, several female names appear among the inscriptions documented so far, and early readings suggest some women wrote their vows themselves.

Rings, a Bracelet and Spindle Whorls Left on the Cave Floor

The 2026 fieldwork recorded offerings still in place on the chamber floor, including two bronze rings found directly beneath the inscribed rock, a bracelet, chalice-shaped vessels, ceramic fragments and animal remains. The team also found numerous spindle whorls, small weights used in spinning thread.

Spindles were a textile tool closely associated with women in antiquity, so the researchers interpret the whorls as offerings of spindles. "This evidence fits remarkably well with the epigraphic data pointing to women's active participation in the sanctuary's ritual life," said Virginia Barciela of the University of Alicante, who co-leads the project.

Barciela also pointed to the cave's name. "It is possible that this name preserves the fossilised memory of a place long associated with women — or with female supernatural beings," she said. The link between the modern name and Roman-era practice remains a hypothesis, not a demonstrated fact.

Much of the Cave Still Waits to Be Explored

Several limits apply. The inscription count has shifted as fieldwork continues; an earlier announcement this summer cited 110, Smithsonian Magazine reported, and the current figure is at least 120. Most dates are described as probable, and the goddess's epithet has no confirmed reading.

Caves like this are also fragile environments. Inscriptions on soft surfaces, mineral formations and undisturbed floor deposits can be damaged by humidity changes, foot traffic and touch. The team says a conservation and public outreach program is planned, including possible immersive virtual visits that would let the public see the chamber without entering it.

Project lead Aitor Ruiz-Redondo of the University of Zaragoza and the University of Southampton said, "Each new discovery reinforces the idea that Cova Dones served as a landmark place" for communities across thousands of years. Further field seasons, and eventually peer-reviewed publication, will determine how much of that story holds up.

What Readers Want to Know

Where is Cova Dones? It is a limestone cave near Millares in the Valencia region of eastern Spain. The Roman sanctuary chamber lies more than 200 meters, or about 650 feet, underground.

What did archaeologists find? At least 120 Latin inscriptions, mostly from the first and second centuries A.D., along with offerings including bronze rings, a bracelet, chalice-shaped vessels, and spindle whorls.

Who was Domina? A goddess named in five votive inscriptions as Domina, meaning "the Lady." Researchers think she may have been linked to the cave's water, but her identity is still under study.

Why do researchers think women led the worship? Several inscriptions name women, some vows appear to have been written by women themselves, and the many spindle whorls suggest offerings of a tool tied to women in antiquity.

Has the research been peer-reviewed? No peer-reviewed paper has been named. The findings come from university announcements describing early analysis.

Can the public visit the cave? The team plans a conservation and outreach program that may include immersive virtual visits. A substantial part of the cave has not yet been investigated.