Kent's Cavern, Torquay: Dig Hopes To Find Signs Of Modern Man

[Bianca]

                                         Cave dig hopes to find signs of modern man







Thursday, January 29, 2009
southdevon.co.uk

AN ULTRA modern search at Kents Cavern hopes to uncover clues missed by the Victorians.
Two archaeologists are planning to excavate a small part of Kents Cavern, Torquay, to unravel their quest to see if modern man lived alongside Neanderthals.

They say it is the most important site in the UK to solve the scientific mystery.

The dig is the first excavation at the cave in more than 80 years.

A two metre by one metre trench is to be opened in the Great Chamber of the Cave, so named by Victorian archaeologist William Pengelly in the 1860s.

The dig is being carried out by archaeologists Dr Mark White, of Durham University, and Dr Paul Pettitt, of Sheffield University.

It is just a few metres from the modern entrance and work will start at the end of March for two weeks.
The cave is a scheduled ancient monument because of its links with Stone Age man.

They plan to use modern techniques of almost 150 years of improvements in archaeology to determine what conditions existed in the cave tens of thousand of years ago.

They will be using 3D mapping, microscopes, and chemical analysis, as well as traditional methods of brush and trowel, to work out how sediments were deposited in the cave entrance, and what vegetable and animal remains are buried.

Dr Pettitt said: "We aim to link Neanderthal extinction with the spread of modern man into Britain.
"Kents Cavern is the most important site in the UK to get to these questions."

Although the dream would be to find human remains, it is more likely they will be finding pollen, rodent bones and insect remains.

He said: "Insect and rodent remains are very good indicators of temperature and environmental conditions and very good evidence.

"They were overlooked in the 19th century but they are very valuable to us.

"Waste from flint working of stone tools may show us whether people were living here or just camping.
"Human remains would be a bonus above and beyond our expectations."

The work will be able to be seen by visitors to the cave and owner Nick Powe said: "This dig will raise the profile of the cave and put it on the British heritage trail.

"Most people know it as a tourist attraction but it is also the oldest scheduled ancient monument in the UK."

The dig is due to start on March 30 and is to last two weeks.

The team will use preliminary results from the first dig to determine when the second trench will be opened in September.

[Wind]

Dr Pettitt said: "We aim to link Neanderthal extinction with the spread of modern man into Britain.

What does it mean, if they can prove this?   Wouldn’t proof of this only lead to more deeper questions, when I think about this a lot of questions sure pop up in my mind.

[Bianca]

Wind,

You are NOT an archaeologist!!!

                                                        You CAN think!!!

[Wind]

LOL Bianca      It's true! Most archeologist do have a one track mind, and are afraid to think outside the box.

[Bianca]

Plus this, Wind - one of my favorite threads:



http://atlantisonline.smfforfree2.com/index.php/topic,1772.0.html