Despite its evident visibility, the cave had never been a target for speleologists, until, around 2004, firefighters from Isona, following the indications of a resident of Sellent (Sallent according to official toponymy) carried out its exploration and discovered the important funerary remains located at its bottom, bringing this to the attention of specialists at the Universitat de Lleida. In January 2005 a team from the Agrupació Científico Excursionista de Mataró carried out the topographic survey of the cavity.

After the preliminary actions, in June 2005 the archaeological campaign called Senyora de les Muntanyes began, carried out by the UdL and UAB, Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya and sponsored by the Direcció de Patrimoni de la Generalitat de Catalunya. There was also the collaboration of the Bombers de la Generalitat and technicians of the Federació Catalana d'Espeleologia, who made the appropriate installations to facilitate the archaeologists' access to the interior of the cavity.

The campaign took care of the “in situ” study and subsequent removal of the eight skeletons dated to the Bronze Age (3700 years) and very especially of one of the two adults, specifically a woman, adorned with different bracelets and necklaces.

At first, its first explorers called it la Cova del Voltor; later, the archaeologists chose to call it la Cova sepulcral de Montanissell. Finally, and at the request of people from Sellent (the former municipality where the cave is located) they investigated the correct name and the designation Forat Negre de la Roca de Set Comelles was adopted (see the website: sellent.cat).