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Dinesh

Dinesh club

Posted: 18 Sep 2023

Taken: 18 Sep 2023

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77 •
The Complete World of •
Human Evolution •
Chris Stringer •
Peter Andrews •
authors •
Second excerpt •
The Humans Who Went Extinct •
Clive Finlayson •
Author •
Wall •

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Gorham' Cave, with Bennett's Cave visible to the left

Gorham' Cave, with Bennett's Cave visible to the left
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorham%27s_Cave
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 Dinesh
Dinesh club
Although the fossil finds from Forbes’ Quarry and Devil’s Tower continue to attract scientific interest, and they remain two of the best preserved of Neanderthal skulls, the sites from which they came are now virtually empty of deposits. However, there are also a series of caves near the sea on ‘Governor’s Beach’, on the southeast side of the Rock, and two of these caves – Gorham’s and Vanguard – still contain rich evidence of Neanderthal occupation. Gorham’s Cave, in particular contains an immense record of human occupation, spanning much of the last 100,000 years. And ancient raised beach, which dates about 120,000 years ago, lies at the base of the site. There is then at least 10 m (33 feet) of evidence of Neanderthal occupation, marked by Middle Palaeolithic tools, and on top, about 3 m (10 ft) of deposits containing Upper Palaeolithic tools, which elsewhere in Europe are characteristic of occupation of modern humans after about 35,000 years go. . . . Page 77
9 months ago.
 Dinesh
Dinesh club
Gorham’s Cave was truly a revelation for those who saw the Neanderthals as dumb and incapable brutles that somehow survived for over a quarter-of-a-million years on Planet Earth. For naturalists who have spent many hours in the field, Gorham’s Cave simply confirmed the obvious – tht prehistoric people, Neanderthals included, were resourceful, knew their environment well, and were not fazed by things that could run or fly. They were among the first and probably the best naturalists the world has ever known.

For a start, over 80% of the bones belonging to mammals eaten by the Neanderthals belonged to rabbits. These animals are endemic to the Ibrian Peninsula and they were extremely abundant. There must have been thousands of rabbits outside the cave, where the sane dunes would have made ideal place for them to burrow. . . . . One hundred and forty five different birds species have been identified in these caves, making them the richest for fossil bird remains anywhere in Europe. The number of bird species found in these caves roughly represents a daunting quarter of all Europe’s breeding birds. This is not to surprising as the Strait of Gibraltar has been one of Europe’s focal point for migratory birds commuting between African winter homes and European summer residences. And the Neanderthals ate them. ~ Page 151

The Humans Who Went Extinct
8 months ago. Edited 8 months ago.

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