Humans
PUBLISHED
Not far from the coast of northern Spain, there's a stunning cavern that archaeologists have described as “one of the best-conserved Paleolithic dwellings in the world”. Dated to 16,800 years ago, the living space in the La Garma cave in Cantabria appears almost as it did when its ancient inhabitants abandoned the site, with tools and other artifacts strewn across the floor.
A prehistoric time capsule
Originally discovered in 1995, La Garma was inhabited by humans throughout the Upper Paleolithic and contains one of the most complete collections of rock art in Europe, spanning the Old Stone Age all the way up to the site’s desertion in the Magdalenian period.
It was at this time – around 17,000 years ago – that a rockfall blocked the entrance to the cave, sealing its contents like a prehistoric time capsule.
However, while the main chamber may have been inaccessible for millennia, humans continued to occupy the surrounding caverns, as evidenced by the presence of kitchen middens from the Middle Stone Age, Copper and Bronze Age graves, and Iron Age fort and tombs from both the Visigothic era and the Middle Ages.
Despite the site’s long history of use, the prehistoric cave dwelling remained undiscovered until recently.
Everyday objects from the Paleolithic
In the main chamber, there's an oval-shaped space measuring around 5 meters squared (54 square feet) and is delineated by a series of stone blocks and stalagmites, “which fixed to the ground a structure made of sticks and hides supported by a nearby ledge in the cave wall," according to the University of Cantabria.
In the center of the living space is a hearth, surrounded by a multitude of items that would have been used in everyday life by the cave’s ancient inhabitants.
These include tools used to produce stone, antler, and bone artifacts, as well as those utilized during the butchering of animals and the working of hides. Among the 4,614 items retrieved so far, researchers also found spears, needles, and a “proto-harpoon”.
In addition to these utilitarian objects, the cave was found to contain a number of artistic pieces, including an aurochs bone engraved with the image of both an aurochs and a human face. According to the researchers, this is the only artifact of its kind ever discovered from Paleolithic Europe.
Pendants that would have been worn by the cave’s inhabitants were also retrieved, with the majority of items being made of deer, horse, and bison bones.
Watch out: here be cave lions
Another study of the La Garma by the University of Cantabria discovered the presence of bones belonging to Eurasian cave lions, a species that fell into extinction around 14,000 years ago. The fossilized remains were covered with scratches and appeared to have been modified by the humans who lived in the cave.
This led the team to ponder whether this big cat was driven to extinction because humans had overhunted them for their fur, ideal for Ice Age conditions.
Researchers are currently continuing their excavations and analyses, using a series of non-invasive techniques in order to learn more about La Garma while at the same time ensuring its continued preservation.
An earlier version of this article was published in December 2023.
