| Pete's Paradise Cave | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Map showing location in Gibraltar. | |
| Location | below Queen's Road, Gibraltar |
| Coordinates | 36°8′3.9″N5°20′58.2″W / 36.134417°N 5.349500°W |
| Entrances | 1 |
| Features | 4 chambers |
Pete's Paradise Cave is a cave in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Explored in the 1960s and 1970s by a team led by George Palao, four skeletons have been unearthed in the cave, two of which were female skeletons with crushed skulls. [1]
The cave is found sixteen metres below Queens Road. The entrance is a metre high and six metres wide and the floor on entry is made of earth. This was named Nun's chamber. The next chamber is called Rimstone Chamber because of the rimstone pools which fall away at different levels. From here it is possible to crawl through a tight hole for eight metres to come out at what was called Pearl's Chamber because of the presence of cave pearls. These are formed around grains of sand and they become coated with calcium carbonate which can grow in time to be 3 cm in diameter. A moving body of water is required to keep these pearls turning whilst they form. The last, and described as the best, chamber is the Hall of Pillars. This chamber contains another perfect rimstone. This is one of three in this cave and only one of three in the whole of Gibraltar. [2]
Pete’s Paradise is a unique structure with crystal-clear rim stone pools and a maze-like network of crawls and chambers. [3] This cave was discovered by the Gibraltar Cave Research Group on 26 February 1966 by members who were abseiling down the rock. [4] The cave was named after Peter Mann from the research group. The Gibraltar Cave Research Group then carried out grade 6 surveys and an excavation of the cave later in 1966 and a structure and site plan was produced. During excavation in 1966 numerous prehistoric artefacts were found such as shards of Neolithic pottery, bones and stone tools. Bones were found at different levels and strewn throughout the cave, the majority of these were of rabbit, ape and ox mixed with many rodent bones. Chert engraving tools were found along with engraved bone bead (necklace) possibly engraved with one of those stone tools. A human burial was also discovered during the excavation. The discovery was made by George Palao in 1966 where four human remains possibly from Neolithic period were found, two female skeletons and two male skeletons. Unfortunately there is no record of this excavation in the Gibraltar Museum. [3]
The cave also represents an example of why it is important to preserve these caves. This cave was only discovered in 1966 but surveys have shown that many of the stalactites have been broken off and the pools have been stirred. This cave contains three perfect palettes. This is a phenomenon where calcium carbonate floats on the very still water and over the millennia it creates a stone rim that appears to float on the water. The final effect can appear like a painter's palette. [2]
A speleothem is a geological formation made by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depending on their depositional history and environment. Their chemical composition, gradual growth, and preservation in caves make them useful paleoclimatic proxies.
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Bray's Cave is a limestone cave in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The cave has yielded several significant human remains and artifacts from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. Three almost complete skulls were discovered, along with other cranial fragments from multiple individuals. This suggests that people repeatedly returned to the site to reuse it as a burial ground.
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Ash Hole Cavern is a limestone cave system in Brixham, Devon, England. There is evidence of human habitation since Neolithic times, and archaeological excavations have been conducted, with several artefacts found. It has been a scheduled monument since 1966.
The Elmenteitan culture was a prehistoric lithic industry and pottery tradition with a distinct pattern of land use, hunting and pastoralism that appeared and developed on the western plains of Kenya, East Africa during the Pastoral Neolithic c.3300-1200 BP. It was named by archaeologist Louis Leakey after Lake Elmenteita, a soda lake located in the Great Rift Valley, about 120 km (75 mi) northwest of Nairobi.
The Alepotrypa Cave is an archaeological site in the Mani region of the Peloponnese peninsula. In addition to being inhabited by early farmers, this site was used for burial and cult purposes. Archaeological evidence has revealed that this is one of the largest Neolithic burial sites ever found in Europe. Two adult human skeletons were found at the site from a burial dating to the 4th millennium BC, as well as remains from at least 170 separate persons. Archaeologists are uncertain about the significance of a Mycenaen ossuary, which has been dated to the 2nd millennium BC and appears to have been reburied at Alepotrypa. While there is no direct evidence, it is possible that the ossuary may link Alepotrypa to Tainaron, which was regarded as the entrance to Hades in classical mythology.
The four Artificial caves of Casal do Pardo, also known as the Caves of Quinta do Anjo, were neolithic tombs. They are situated in Palmela municipality in the Setúbal District, of Portugal, about 25 km (16 mi) south of the capital of Lisbon. These caves were classified as a National Monument of Portugal in 1934.
R12 is a middle Neolithic cemetery located in the Northern Dongola Reach on the banks of the Seleim Nile palaeochannel of modern-day Sudan. The site is dated to between 5000 and 4000 BC. Centro Veneto di Studi Classici e Orientali excavated the site, within the concession of the Sudan Archaeological Research Society and after an agreement with it, between 2000 and 2003 over three digging seasons. The first was in 2000 and 33 graves were discovered. The second was in 2001 and another 33 graves were discovered. The third was in 2003 and the last 100 graves were discovered. There are 166 graves total at the site. Contents of the graves include ceramics, animal bones, grinding stones, human skeletons, and plant remains.
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The Bockstein Cave, German: Bocksteinhöhle is part of the Bockstein complex – a White Jurassic limestone rock massif. The 15 by 20 m rock shelter, among small peripheral caves is situated around 12 m (39 ft) above the Lone River valley bottom, north of the towns of Rammingen and Öllingen, Heidenheim district in the central Swabian Jura, southern Germany. Several small openings, that are the actual entrances to the site, lead to various cave sections. The large frontal opening is of modern origin, created during the first excavation works in the late 19th century.
