Post by Azurerana on Nov 28, 2006 10:26:49 GMT -5
Cave archaeology
From 'cave men' to cannibals
The 'cave men' of popular imagination may never have existed in the form that they are usually portrayed. Nevertheless, in the right circumstances, the unique preservation conditions often found in caves can open a remarkable window onto our distant past. From the remains of a Neanderthal burial, with flowers apparently laid upon the grave, to the Qumran scrolls, which contain the earliest surviving examples of parts of the New Testament gospels, caves have provided some of our most important archaeological discoveries.
The archaeology of caves presents special problems as well as special opportunities – as Time Team has found during its excavations underground. For example, the first time the Team ventured into this subterranean world, at Cooper's Hole, Cheddar, during the 1999 series, heavy rain and flooding almost washed away the whole operation. Undeterred by the experience, the Team has since investigated two more cave sites: the so-called 'cannibal cave' at Alveston, Gloucestershire, for a Time Team Special in the 2001 series; and at Carsington, Derbyshire, for the 2003 series.
Here, in an extended version of an article that first appeared in Time Team's Trench One magazine, Steve Platt looks at the fascinating world of cave archaeology
A cave under the sea
When archaeologists came to investigate the Cosquer cave, at Cape Morgiou, near Marseille, after its discovery was first made known to the world in 1991, they were faced with a problem. For the cave, which contains some of the world's oldest rock art, can only be reached through a tunnel that is 175 metres long – and 37 metres beneath the sea.
French researchers at one stage considered digging an inland entrance to the cave. But the idea was rejected after climatological tests showed that the cave's atmosphere is under pressure. Any change might result in the water level rising and some of the precious cave paintings being damaged or lost. 'We're taking no chances,' said Jean Clottes, the Paleolithic art expert who, along with Jean Courtin, was among the first archaeologists to study the cave after its discovery by the diver, Henri Cosquer.
As a result, the archaeologists conducting the investigation of the Cosquer cave have also had to be – or become – experienced divers. All equipment has had to be carried in special waterproof containers through the cave's treacherous entrance passageways. Three divers died here in 1992, after which the cave was closed to public access, and every visit to its innermost chamber by the research team has carried with it difficulties and dangers not normally associated with an archaeological investigation.
Article
From 'cave men' to cannibals
The 'cave men' of popular imagination may never have existed in the form that they are usually portrayed. Nevertheless, in the right circumstances, the unique preservation conditions often found in caves can open a remarkable window onto our distant past. From the remains of a Neanderthal burial, with flowers apparently laid upon the grave, to the Qumran scrolls, which contain the earliest surviving examples of parts of the New Testament gospels, caves have provided some of our most important archaeological discoveries.
The archaeology of caves presents special problems as well as special opportunities – as Time Team has found during its excavations underground. For example, the first time the Team ventured into this subterranean world, at Cooper's Hole, Cheddar, during the 1999 series, heavy rain and flooding almost washed away the whole operation. Undeterred by the experience, the Team has since investigated two more cave sites: the so-called 'cannibal cave' at Alveston, Gloucestershire, for a Time Team Special in the 2001 series; and at Carsington, Derbyshire, for the 2003 series.
Here, in an extended version of an article that first appeared in Time Team's Trench One magazine, Steve Platt looks at the fascinating world of cave archaeology
A cave under the sea
When archaeologists came to investigate the Cosquer cave, at Cape Morgiou, near Marseille, after its discovery was first made known to the world in 1991, they were faced with a problem. For the cave, which contains some of the world's oldest rock art, can only be reached through a tunnel that is 175 metres long – and 37 metres beneath the sea.
French researchers at one stage considered digging an inland entrance to the cave. But the idea was rejected after climatological tests showed that the cave's atmosphere is under pressure. Any change might result in the water level rising and some of the precious cave paintings being damaged or lost. 'We're taking no chances,' said Jean Clottes, the Paleolithic art expert who, along with Jean Courtin, was among the first archaeologists to study the cave after its discovery by the diver, Henri Cosquer.
As a result, the archaeologists conducting the investigation of the Cosquer cave have also had to be – or become – experienced divers. All equipment has had to be carried in special waterproof containers through the cave's treacherous entrance passageways. Three divers died here in 1992, after which the cave was closed to public access, and every visit to its innermost chamber by the research team has carried with it difficulties and dangers not normally associated with an archaeological investigation.
Article