MADRID (AP) — More than 50 cave etchings thought to be around 14,500 years old have been found in the northern Spanish town of Lekeitio.

Bizkaia regional official Unai Rementeria announced the discovery in a press conference Thursday, saying the etchings were a "treasure of mankind," and "of exceptional technical quality and visibility." He said experts have praised the etchings as the "most spectacular" in the Iberian peninsula.

Among the figures carved into the stone surface are horses, bison, goats and, for the first time, at least two lions.

The region of Bizkaia neighbors the region of Cantabria, home to the famous Altamira cave paintings, Spain's most prized prehistoric cave art site - also known as the Sistine Chapel of Paleolithic Art.