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'Enormous' cave under Pembroke Castle could rewrite history, researchers say
Archaeologists say rare bones and stone tools from the cave could reveal more than 100,000 years of human activity.
- The University of Aberdeen will lead a five-year archaeological project at Wogan Cavern beneath Pembroke Castle, a site researchers describe as a "once in a lifetime discovery."
- Long assumed to hold little archaeological value after Victorian disturbance, Wogan Cavern was transformed by small-scale excavations between 2021 and 2024, which uncovered "abundant evidence" of activity spanning more than 100,000 years.
- Researchers unearthed remains of mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, reindeer, and wild horses, alongside stone tools and traces of early human occupation by Homo sapiens and possibly Neanderthals.
- Funded by the Calleva Foundation, the Pembroke Castle Trust plans to expand facilities to curate findings locally, with castle manager Jon Williams calling the project a "new and exciting chapter."
- Dr. Rob Dinnis leads the research team and noted the cave's well-preserved sediments and ancient DNA offer a unique opportunity to chart human activity and environmental changes spanning more than 100,000 years.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Ancient hippopotamus that roamed Britain 120,000 years ago found in Welsh cave
Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of a hippopotamus that lived in Britain approximately 120,000 years ago within a Welsh cave system. The discovery was made at Wogan Cavern, a vast underground chamber located beneath Pembroke Castle, that visitors reach via a spiral staircase.The University of Aberdeen has now secured funding from the Calleva Foundation to conduct an extensive five-year investigation of the site. Researchers believe the …
Hidden Cave Under UK Castle Reveals 120,000-Year-Old Secrets
Pembroke Castle, UK. Credit: University of Aberdeen Researchers say a hidden cave at a UK castle in Wales may be one of the most important prehistoric sites ever found in Britain, with evidence of human and animal life stretching back more than 100,000 years. The site has already yielded bones from species including mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, wild horses, reindeer, and a hippopotamus that roamed the region around 120,000 years ago. Stone too…
From hippos to humans: cave beneath Pembroke Castle may reshape Britain’s prehistory
A cave hidden beneath Pembroke Castle is drawing renewed attention from archaeologists, who believe it could change current views of Britain’s early past. The site, known as Wogan Cavern, lies below the castle and has been noted for years, but only recently examined in detail. What had once been thought to be a disturbed or partially excavated space is now understood to contain deep, intact deposits. A research team from the University of Aberde…
In Cave Beneath Castle, a 'Once in a Lifetime Discovery'
The medieval birthplace of Henry VII may soon be better known for far-more-ancient history. Archaeologists say a vast cave beneath Pembroke Castle in Wales is emerging as one of Britain's most important prehistoric sites, with finds spanning from Ice Age hunter-gatherers back to some of Britain's earliest known human inhabitants,...
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