Almost 80 years after its discovery, a large shell from the ornate Marsoulas Cave in the Pyrenees has been studied by a multidisciplinary team: it is believed to be the oldest wind instrument of its type.
When we at DB Towers received our copy of Robin Taviner’s Somerset Underground Volume 1, we were intrigued to learn that one site that he had been unable to visit was Bucklewell Cave in the Avon Gorge. We therefore approached Paul Warrilow, who has studied the site over many years, and asked him for an…
Reports on large cave fish from Meghalaya, archaeological sites in Scotland and Derbyshire, ice caves in Yorkshire and carbon dioxide – historically and geologically – are amongst the features in the new edition of Cave and Karst Science. There are ten main articles in volume 46 no. 3 as well as some shorter pieces in…
In 2019, The University of Bristol Spelaeological Society (UBSS), one of the oldest caving clubs in the country, celebrates 100 years of cave and archaeological exploration and research. On the 9th/10th November, to mark the occasion, the society is hosting a weekend of presentations and fieldtrips celebrating its past, present and future. UBSS member Professor…
An international team, led by an archaeologist from the University of Southampton and the University of Bordeaux, has revealed the first example of Palaeolithic figurative cave art found in the Balkan Peninsula. Dr Aitor Ruiz-Redondo worked with researchers from the universities of Cantabria (Spain), Newfoundland (Canada), Zagreb (Croatia) and the Archaeological Museum of Istria (Croatia)…
In the final part of her report for Darkness Below, Rising Star Angharad Brewer Gillham looks back on her adventures underground in South Africa, and has advice for all would-be explorers – grab your chance when you can. I’m writing this on my way back to Switzerland and my day job, and a parcel of…
Angharad Brewer Gillham found herself a world away from her comfortable desk job in Switzerland when she joined the Rising Stars expedition in South Africa’s Dinaledi Chamber. Here’s her second report from the excavation.
For the first time, curious chalk inscriptions on the walls of an ancient stone quarry in Surrey are being systematically recorded, as part of a wider research project to better understand the long and hitherto hidden history of this important source of stone for London. Many of the chalk inscriptions have been identified as ritual protection marks (RPM).
One moment Angharad Brewer Gillham was sitting behind a desk in Switzerland. The next, she’s in South Africa on the prestigious Rising Stars expedition helping to excavate the Dinaledi Chamber. Here’s her first report … There are times in your life where you find yourself wanting to question all your life choices, but you only…
Linda Wilson picked up some intriguing tips at the British Cave Research Association’s 29th cave science symposium as well as drinking plenty of tea … If you wanted to find out how to annoy our cross-channel neighbours, which caves you might want to avoid if spiders aren’t your thing and why you might soon be…
Accounts of an archaeological dig on Mendip have appeared in print – 50 years after initial discoveries took place. Picken’s Hole is a small, partially unroofed cave on Crook Peak, Somerset. It was excavated during the 1960s when significant Palaeolithic faunal assemblages, a small collection of Mousterian stone implements and some human teeth were found….
The British Cave Research Association is pleased to announce the final details of the 29th Annual Cave Science Symposium to be held Saturday 13th October, 2018 in Bristol, as well as a field trip to GB Cave, Mendip on Sunday 14th October, 2018. Whether you are an academic, an amateur scientist, or a caver wanting…
The result is astonishing: Denisova 11 comes from an individual who had a Neanderthal mother and a Denisovan father.
Creswell Crags is an Site of Special Scientific Interest on the border of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. The beautiful limestone gorge cuts through an area of higher topographic relief that contains a series of horizontal caves that are perpendicular to the gorge itself. Several caves were first used by Neanderthals 50,000–60,000 years ago age followed by…
In January 2018, we reported that the Wealden Cave and Mine Society had been awarded the opportunity to get free radiocarbon dating work performed on archaeological samples from the Reigate area. By the end of March, the results were available, but disappointingly, two of the three samples submitted did not contain sufficient carbon to provide…
The connection of two of the largest underwater cave systems in the world has produced a new record, bringing the combined length of two caves, Sac Actun and Dos Ojos, to a total length of 347 km.
Following recent reports of the opening of a new entrance to Ogof Draenen and the statement from the Trustees of the Pwll Dhu Cave Management Committee, additional information has been received from Cadw who have confirmed that the hole that was excavated to open a new entrance to Ogof Draenen has been dug through, and…
Wells and Mendip Museum is hosting a stunning exhibition featuring the work of artist and film maker Sean Harris. ‘Playing with Time (Or a Concise History of Truth)’ is a stunning animated installation inspired by the museum’s cave paleontology collections. The art installation, fittingly housed in the Balch Room at the museum, explores the thinking…
After the break-in in 2015 when archaeological bones and artefacts were damaged and stolen, the site has been restored with much help from the Natural History Museum.
Analysis on an engraved human bone from the well-known Palaeolithic site of Gough’s Cave has shown that “ritualistic‟ cannibalism took place there.
The bone caves of north Wales have received increased attention from archaeologists in recent years. Excavations have taken place at Llanarmon Cave (Llanarmon-yn-ial) and Ffynnon Bueno Cave (Tremeirchion) by Rob Dinnis, then of the British Museum, and his team. John Blore issued his final report on his fifty years work at Lynx Cave (near Eryrys),…
The good news is that no animals or humans have been harmed recently, well not for a couple of thousand years in anyway, it’s not really a crime scene! This research is being headed up by Dr Rhiannon Stevens from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London and Dr Sophy Charlton from the Natural History…
Lascaux IV was officially opened on 10th December 2016 by President Hollande of France, in a day of celebrations at the new Centre International de l’Art Pariétal in Montignac. The centre housing the replica cave opens its doors fully to the public on 15th December. The original cave was closed to the public for reasons…
Haggs Brow Cave Excavations, Lower Winskill Yorkshire Dales National Park. May 2016. A personal account by Vince Simmonds. Looking down the track to Lower Winskill. Introduction: Haggs Brow Cave is located on the Haggs, an area of former managed woodland or wood pasture at Lower Winskill Farm, near Settle. Haggs Brow Cave is…
Back in April we reported that Tom Lord was inviting people to join the upcoming excavation of Haggs Brow Cave, at Lower Winskill near Settle. Tom has just sent us more information including details of an open day for visitors so we thought it was time for a quick reminder that work starts this Friday May…
The Tratman Award, 2015 The Tratman Award has been awarded annually since 1979 to a caving-related paper-based publication in memory of E.K. Tratman, who died in 1978. It covers books, journals and articles published in a calendar year and is administered by the Ghar Parau Foundation, but judged by independent cavers; for 2015 these were…
Photos and article courtesy of Tom Lord The first phase of excavations at Haggs Brow Cave, Lower Winskill http://www.lowerwinskill.co.uk/ will take place from Friday 20th May to Tuesday 31st May. Haggs Brow Cave is located on the Haggs, an area of former managed woodland or wood pasture at Lower Winskill Farm, near Settle. The cave…
A bear bone found nearly 100 years ago in a cave in Co. Clare, Ireland has provided evidence enabling archaeologist Dr Marion Dowd to re-write the prehistory of the human occupation of Ireland. Radiocarbon dating of a butchered brown bear bone, stored in a cardboard box at the National Museum of Ireland for almost 100…
In the March 2016 NAMHO newsletter, the headline story is, understandably, the closure of Kellingley Colliery, the last deep coal mine in Britain, which took place in December 2015. There is a link to Ian Castledine’s impressive photographic record immediately after the closure, at http://www.kellingley.co.uk/ Details of a forthcoming publication are described. “The Archaeology of Mining…
Ireland has long been a popular destination for cavers the world over. But there is much more to Irish caves than simply their sporting interest. Archaeologist Marion Dowd’s book, The Archaeology of Caves in Ireland, has just won the magazine Current Archaeology’s Book of the Year award. The book tells the story of how people…
A team of mining archaeologists, supervised by Prof. Dr Denis Morin of the University of Lorraine, connected with the UMR National Center for Scientific Research 5608 of Toulouse, has been investigating 5,000 year old silver mine workings in Greece. The scientists have used a drone to locate above-ground installations connected to the mining. It is…
Looking for information on human remains in caves? Look no further. Professor Andrew Chamberlain of the University of Manchester has compiled a gazetteer of all sites in Britain in which human remains have been found. This resource is hosted by the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society (UBSS) and can be found here. The gazetteer contains…
The BBC Earth site is reporting the discovery of a pair of mummified cave lion cubs which have emerged from thawing ice in Siberia. Uyan and Dina have been reportedly named after the riverbank where they were discovered by a team seeking mammoth tusks. The cubs are estimated to be at least 12,000 years old, although the…
Archaeologists and cavers working together have recovered skulls and bones as well as noting strange wall markings from an unnamed cave in the Yorkshire Dales. The story to date is told on DigVentures web site. The age and type of bones have yet to be determined.
