The discoveries found in 'remarkable' hidden cave under Welsh castle
The discovery was made underneath Pembroke Castle in south Wales
- Published
Scientists say that they have discovered a "remarkable" cave hidden underneath a castle in south-west Wales.
Small digs of the site under Pembroke Castle, known as Wogan Cavern, have so far uncovered lots of "extremely rare" evidence of early humans and animals.
They include items such as stone tools, mammoth and woolly rhinoceros bones.
Experts say it could be one of the most important prehistoric sites in Britain, and they will now lead a larger, five year exploration of the area.
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What did experts find underneath Pembroke Castle?
Experts have been studying the cave, located underneath the castle
Pembroke Castle is a huge Norman fortress, built around 1093, famous as the birthplace of King Henry VII.
The cave underneath it - also known as Wogan Cavern - is thought to have been dug out by the Victorians and is accessed via a spiral staircase from the castle.
Measuring 23 metres in length, with a height of up to 10 metres, the cave has been described as "enormous".
For many years, it was thought there wasn't much archaeological material left, until some small excavations between 2021 and 2024.
These uncovered evidence of both humans and animals over more than 100,000 years.
This included stone tools and bones from animals such as mammoths, hippos and woolly rhinos - some of which are thought to date back around 120,000 years.
The bones have been described as well preserved, and researchers said the cave could become one of the most important prehistoric sites in Britain.
As a result experts from the University of Aberdeen, supported by the Pembroke Castle Trust, will now lead a larger five-year exploration of the site.
Archaeologists hope this could reveal "a great deal about our early prehistoric forebears".
Dr Rob Dinnis from the University of Aberdeen, project leader, explained: "There is no other site like it in Britain – it is a once in a lifetime discovery".
He added: "Despite the limited work done so far, we can already say that Wogan Cavern is a truly remarkable site".
"We are optimistic that the cave can chart a long sequence of human activity, from hunter-gatherers living there immediately after the last Ice Age around 11,500 years ago, back to Britain's earliest Homo sapiens between 45,000 and 35,000 years ago, and maybe also earlier traces likely left by Neanderthals."
