It may have been one of the last hiding places of the Neanderthals. It is located in Vanguard Cave in Gibraltar, and the find could reveal important information about the hominids who lived in the area at that time.
A cave has remained hidden by sand and unknown for about 40,000 years. The discovery was made in Vanguard Cave in Gibraltar, and the discovery could reveal valuable information about the Neanderthals who lived in the area at that time. Between August and September, the team from the Gibraltar National Museum, spotted the empty area during some scouting. The “secret chamber” is 13 meters long, with stalactites hanging from the ceiling. According to archaeologists, the room may have been one of the last refuges of hominids who lived in the Middle Paleolithic.
What’s in the cave that has remained hidden for 40,000 years
Along the surface of the cave chamber, researchers have found the remains of lynxes, hyenas and griffons, as well as a large whelk, a type of sea snail that archaeologists say was likely brought inside by a Neanderthal. To LiveScience, Gibraltar National Museum director Clive Finlayson said that “since the sand sealing the cave was 40,000 years old, and the chamber must therefore have been older,” Neanderthals, who lived in Eurasia between about 200,000 to 40,000 years ago, should have used the area.
Excavations inside the quarry have yet to begin, but archaeologists believe interesting finds could be found. Among the hypotheses, the team of researchers, believes there may be Neanderthal burials. “We found the baby tooth of a 4-year-old Neanderthal near the chamber four years ago,” Finlayson said. The tooth “was associated with hyenas, and we suspect the hyenas brought the baby (who was probably dead) into the cave.” In fact, in the cave system, called Gorham’s Cave Complex, scholars have already uncovered much evidence of Neanderthal presence, including a sculpture that may have been one of the earliest works of hominids.
In addition, the findings suggested that, in this cave system, our closest extinct relatives butchered seals, plucked feathers from birds of prey to wear as ornaments and the tools used to do so. Scientists have speculated that Gorham’s Cave Complex may have been one of the last places Neanderthals lived before becoming extinct about 40,000 years ago.
A study by the CNRS in Marseille, France, has instead unraveled the causes that led Neanderthals to the extinction of the species.
Stefania Bernardini