Another Paleolithic dwelling has been discovered, this one in a decorated cave in Spain – La Garma.
“The La Garma cave complex is a parietal art–bearing paleoanthropological parietal cave system in Cantabria, Spain, located on the southern side of La Garma Hill, north of the village of Omoño, part of the municipality of Ribamontan al Monte. The cave complex contains more than 4,000 fossils and more than 500 graphical units, with 109 signs, 92 animal figures, and 40 hand stencils. The cave complex is noted for containing one of the best preserved floors from the Paleolithic. La Garma is listed as part of the Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain World Heritage Site.” (Wikipedia)
“A project led by Pablo Arias and
Roberto Ontañon from the University of Cantabria has recently announced the
discovery of a Paleolithic dwelling within the cave system, described as ‘one
of the best preserved Paleolithic dwellings in the world.’ The dwelling is an
oval space and is delimited by an alignment of stone blocks and stalagmites
that supported a fixed structure of sticks and skins leaning against the cave
wall. The total area of the space is around 5 square meters that centered on a
camp fire. Archeologists also found vestiges of various daily activities
associated with Magdalenian hunters and gatherers at the dwelling, including
evidence of stone manufacturing, bone and antler instruments, and the working
of fur.” (Milligan
2023) It is assumed that the dwelling was constructed of animal skins over a
framework of sticks, somewhat like the North American Tipi.
Note the presence of the fire in the dwelling. The temperature of the inside of a cave (away from the entrance) is relatively consistent year round and stays close to the average surface temperature of the region it is located in (usually somewhere between 50˚F and 70˚F). Much below the 70˚F mark and they inhabitants would need to keep a fire going for warmth. This also implies that they must have carried fire wood inside the cave. We can possibly also infer that they used a torch to traverse the distance from the cave mouth to the dwelling, which was 130 meters.
“Researchers believe there was a small bonfire in the center of the space, in which a multitude of daily tasks would have taken place. They believe a group of Magdalenian hunters and gatherers shared the space and they have documented 6,614 objects from the dwelling including deer, horse and bison bones as well as 600 pieces of flint, needles and shells of marine mollusks. Among the discoveries was a decorated bone and several pendants that researchers believe dwellers wore as jewelry.” (Stavrou 2023)
Of course
we have no proof that the residents of this dwelling in La Garma are the people
who created the cave art. We do, however, have indications that they were
industrious in the 6,614 artifacts retrieved from the dwelling.
A number of these are carved bone animals of the same species as the wall paintings, lending a certain degree of credence to the case for the painting of these same animals on the cave wall by the inhabitants.
“It has been described as a ‘time capsule’ by the local government as the original entrance to the cave was blocked by a landslide around 16,000 years ago, preserving the ancient remains inside.” (Stavrou 2023) This should be considered irrefutable proof of the ancient age of the dwelling, the bone carvings as well as the cave art. They have to have been done more than 16,000 years ago. How many more marvelous discoveries are waiting to be found if we only keep searching?
NOTE 1: Strangely, I have been totally
unable to find a translation of the word Garma from Spanish to English.
NOTE 2: Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read the original reports at the sites listed below.
REFERENCES:
Milligan, Mark, 2023, 16,800-year-old Palaeolithic dwelling found in La Garma cave, 1 December 2023, https://www.heritagedaily.com. Accessed online 2 December 2023.
Stavrou, Athena, 2023, Archaeologists discover prehistoric ‘time capsule’ in mystery cave dwelling, 6 December 2023, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/, Accessed online 19 December 2023.
Wikipedia, La Garma Cave Complex, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Garma_cave_complex.
Accessed online 10 Januardy 2024.
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