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By Robyn White
Nature Reporter
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The entrance to an Ice Age cave that nobody has entered for 16,000 years has been discovered in southern Germany.
During excavations in the town of Engen, in the district of Konstanz, a team led by Dr. Yvonne Tafelmaier of the University of Tübingen, continued research into the cave that was occupied during the Magdalenian period, around 16,000 to 14,000 years ago. Although the cave was already known to archaeologists, until now, they had not discovered the original entrance.
The last people to enter the original entrance of the cave would have been Ice Age hunter gathers, a press release on the find reported.
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"Such a find is extremely rare in Paleolithic research and offers the opportunity to answer important questions about the behavior of late Ice Age hunter gatherers with modern methods," Tafelmaier said in a statement.
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A small part of the cave was found by archaeologists in 1978, when researchers blasted a hole in its ceiling, allowing them to discover when it was in use.
The cave would probably have provided shelter for Ice Age hunter gatherers, they found. The hole in the cave was closed and further investigation was left for future archaeologists.
New excavations began in 2021 and during six-weeks of work archaeologists gathered more data but the original cave entrance remained undiscovered.
In April of this year, however, researchers from the University of Heidelberg began investigations into the cave.
They managed to locate a 65-foot cavity using an imaging method and on July 4 they finally unearthed the original entrance to the cave. The entrance had been completely blocked by sediment, meaning until now, it had been difficult to find.
While excavating the area, scientists also found Ice Age stone tools and animal bones, Tafelmaier said.
Excavations at the sight will continue next year.
New discoveries from the Ice Age are being found all the time. In July, the missing fragment of a famous Ice Age figurine was unearthed from the Hohle Fels cave in Schelklingen, Germany.
Archaeologists uncovered a piece of an ivory figurine carved 35,000 years ago. On closer inspection, researchers realized it was part of a famous ornament that was recovered in 1999.
The caves have offered up a treasure trove of archaeological finds, containing early forms of prehistoric art such as figurines and musical instruments.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Ice Age? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
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