Cave with horse bones yields important human remains
A slice of human femur establish inwards a cave that also yielded the remains of horses in addition to deer has been radiocarbon-dated equally the oldest known human remains inwards northern Britain.
The fresh analysis of the bone, removed from a cave inwards southern Cumbria inwards the early on 1990s, has been dated to simply over 10,000 years old.
Kents Bank Cave, on the due north side of Morecambe Bay, was excavated inwards the early on 1990s past times Chris Salisbury in addition to a squad of local archaeologists.
Scientists from Liverpool John Moores University investigated the collection, including the femur fragment they radiocarbon-dated, which places the human inwards the portion next the retreat of the polar weather condition of the concluding Ice Age.
Archaeologist in addition to doctoral pupil Ian Smith, of university’s School of Natural Science in addition to Psychology, said the os was of detail achaeological interest.
“Previous cave burials of humans from some this appointment bring been inwards southern England, alongside afterward dates farther north. However, the appointment of this human femur is contemporary alongside the earliest post-glacial human bones from caves inwards the south, suggesting like ritual demeanor inwards both Cumbrian in addition to Somerset caves at the same time.”
Early hunters in addition to gatherers came to Cumbria almost 12,000 years ago. Caves were used over thousands of years. The environs changed enormously from 10,000 BC onwards. The H2O ice retreated, it became warmer in addition to Cumbria became heavily wooded.
The Kents Bank cave was also used past times animals. Some demo show of cutting marks showing they were eaten or chewed past times other animals, but some would bring died naturally inwards the cave.
The report also dated bones of elk – a large deer species no longer establish inwards UK of Britain in addition to Northern Republic of Ireland – in addition to horse, showing that they came from a “warm snap” at the destination of the concluding Ice Age, betwixt 12,000 in addition to 13,000 years ago.
Researchers know that humans were inwards southern Cumbria at this fourth dimension equally their rock tools bring been found, but equally withal no human bones bring been dated to this time.
Clearly, Equus caballus in addition to elk would bring been skilful prey for these human hunters, but in that location is no straight show on the Kents Bank bones to propose that they were killed past times people.
Dr Dave Wilkinson, an ecologist at university, in addition to i of the authors of a newspaper on the cave finds published inwards the Journal of Quaternary Science, commented: “The Equus caballus bones are peculiarly interesting equally in that location has been a lot of incertitude surrounding the occurrence of Equus caballus inwards this period.
“Both Equus caballus in addition to elk afterward became extinct inwards Britain, alongside people afterward reintroducing Equus caballus to this country.”
The elk os also produced show of some other animal, equally the bones had been chewed past times either a wolf or large dog.
Dr Hannah O’Regan, a specialist inwards cave archæology at the University of Nottingham, in addition to the other writer of the research, said: “Ian’s hap the bones from Kents Bank demo simply how of import cave archæology in addition to museum collections tin be.
“Caves tin save bones which would bring decayed elsewhere, in addition to i time the fabric is excavated museums hap them for futurity study. Without this, nosotros wouldn’t bring known almost our earliest northerner!”
Many of the bones establish inwards the cave are on display inwards the Dock Museum, at Barrow-in-Furness.
More information: http://www.dockmuseum.org.uk/
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