Sidrón Cave
Sidrón Cave, or El Sidrón, is a significant archaeological site located in the Asturias region of northwestern Spain, known for its extensive limestone formation that spans approximately 2.5 miles. Throughout history, this cave has served as a refuge, notably during the Spanish Civil War when individuals sought shelter from conflict. However, its most remarkable discovery came in 1994 when explorers unearthed a collection of fossilized Neanderthal bones, leading to extensive excavations from 2000 to 2009. These findings, including twelve to thirteen sets of bones believed to belong to a family group from around 49,000 years ago, are among the most important Neanderthal discoveries in the world.
The remains, along with various stone tools found in the cave, provide valuable insights into the lives and struggles of early humans. Notably, researchers have suggested that this Neanderthal group may have suffered a violent fate at the hands of a rival group, as evidenced by cut marks and signs of cannibalism on the bones. The cave's archaeological significance is further underscored by its rich collection of artifacts and the study of the Neanderthals' social structure, diet, and survival strategies, contributing to our understanding of human evolution and prehistoric life.
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Sidrón Cave
Sidrón Cave, also known as El Sidrón, is located in the Asturias region of Spain. The cave, formed of eroded limestone, reaches some 2.5 miles and contains many walkways and flat areas where people throughout history have taken shelter. In the 1930s, people hid in these caves during the Spanish Civil War. In 1994, cave explorers discovered a cache of fossilized bones of the prehistoric humans known as Neanderthals.
Subsequent archaeological expeditions to the cave have unearthed twelve to thirteen sets of Neanderthal bones, likely representing a family group that lived about 49,000 years ago. The bones and associated stone tools comprise one of the largest and most important Neanderthal finds ever. Studying these artifacts has shed light on the lives of early humans, as well as their deaths. Many scientists believe, based on cut marks and other damage to these bones, that this group of Neanderthals was murdered and cannibalized by a rival group.
Background
Sidrón Cave is located in northwestern Spain in a principality known as Asturias. Asturias is well known for its coastline formed of craggy cliffs and beaches, green hills, and orchards. The region also has a very deep history. Most visitors note its rich medieval legacy, but the story of Asturias reaches far back into prehistoric times, when it was home to an early species of human known as the Neanderthal.
Neanderthals first appeared around four hundred thousand years ago and inhabited much of Europe and parts of Asia. They basically resembled modern humans, although in general they were shorter and stockier, with larger noses and broader foreheads. Although Neanderthals vanished around forty-thousand years ago, they left intriguing clues about their lives in their bones, tools, and other archaeological remains. They left many such artifacts at Sidrón Cave.
Overview
Sidrón Cave is part of a karst landscape, meaning it is formed by eroded limestone. This cave is exceptionally large, encompassing a system about 2.5-miles long with so-called “halls” and “galleries” (walkways and flat areas) that have provided shelter for humans at different points throughout history. For example, during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) a group of supporters of the Spanish Republic hid in the cave, only to be pursued there by enemy forces of the rebel Nationalists. Although the Nationalists attempted to blow up the cave, most of the structure was undamaged, and their quarry escaped.
The most notable modern event in Sidrón Cave, however, was most likely cave explorers’ accidental discovery of a wide variety of Neanderthal bones and artifacts in 1994. From 2000 to 2009, archaeologist Javier Fortea, from the nearby University of Oviedo, conducted a major excavation inside the cave. After Fortea died in 2009, archaeologist Marco de la Rasilla oversaw university exploration of the cave until 2014. The results of these scientists’ work have helped to shape modern understanding of the Neanderthals and their difficult, often brutal, lives.
The Neanderthal bones and artifacts are concentrated in an approximately 90-by-40-foot (28-by-12-meter) area of the cave known as the Galería del Osario, or the Ossuary Gallery. The term ossuary refers to a room or other area where the bones of dead people are deliberately stored. Explorers who first noticed the bones assumed that they had been buried there on purpose, likely by a caring family or community group. Only later examination proved that the bones likely resulted from deaths by horrific violence.
The bones and bone fragments discovered in the cave, numbering some 2,500, represent twelve or thirteen Neanderthal people. Early testing of the remains suggested these Neanderthals most likely lived around 42,000 to 44,000 years ago. Later, likely more accurate tests, however, push that date back to around 49,000 years ago.
The group consisted of three adult men, three or four adult women, two young men, one young woman, two children, and an infant. These people probably formed a family group and likely stayed together in life, a belief that was supported by DNA evidence. Based on their genetics, the males of the group were likely all related, while the females were not genetically related. The children seem to be related to the females. These findings suggest that the Neanderthals were part of a family that lived in the male’s home or among his broader family, a system known as patrilocal residence.
The remains are in unusually good condition for their age and are largely free of deterioration, wear, or gnaw marks from animals. However, scientists believe the bones are not in their original positions but, rather, washed into the so-called Ossuary Gallery via floodwaters moving through the cave system.
Researchers discovered, along with the thousands of bones and bone fragments, more than four hundred stone artifacts that were likely used by the cave’s occupants. These include a stone axe, projectile points, and tools for scraping and sawing. These artifacts are made from a variety of stone types, including quartzite and chert. However, about 20 percent of the tools appear to have been made from the same base stone, strongly suggesting that they were made and used in the cave rather than brought in from elsewhere. In addition, archaeologists found fifty-one bones and fragments from animals, possibly remains from the Neanderthals’ meals, although research has indicated these humans ate largely plant-based diets.
The most surprising aspect of the research, however, were the abundant cut marks, pits, cracks, and scrapes on many of the bones. This damage is not consistent with natural wear or even chewing by non-human animals. Rather, according to researchers, this damage shows that the Neanderthal family was killed and cannibalized, or eaten, by a rival group. The cuts suggest butchering of meat, and some bones and skulls are cracked to obtain edible bone marrow or brain. Without evidence of fire nearby, the meal was likely consumed raw.
Scientists are unsure of the exact causes of the gruesome fate of these early humans. Theories suggest that the Neanderthals in this region faced a lack of food and improper nutrition, and the act of cannibalism may have been a last resort to fend off starvation.
Bibliography
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