Kenneth Glad
Scientific testing has brought new attention to a disputed archaeological site. The result may affect how one coastal cave is studied, described and protected.
Red markings inside Bacon Hole on the south Wales coast have been dated to about 17,100 years ago, making them the oldest known cave art in Britain and north-western Europe.
According to The Guardian, the cave lies in the limestone cliffs of south Gower, above the Bristol Channel. The research was published in Quaternary, where the authors argue that the marks were deliberately made by people.
Uranium-thorium dating was central to the reassessment. The method can date mineral deposits linked to cave art, which is useful because ancient pigments often cannot be tested with standard radiocarbon methods.
Pigment analysis supported human origin
Laboratory work identified calcite, consistent with the local limestone, and clay residues described in Quaternary as part of a pigment mixture.
The paper states: “Based on both field observations … and laboratory examination of the pigment samples, it is evident that the pigmented lines were intentionally created by human agency, rather than resulting from natural processes.”
Researchers also found that the lines were horizontal, evenly spaced and likely applied by finger.
The earlier dismissal is reversed
The Guardian informs that William Sollas and Henri Breuil identified the markings in 1912 as prehistoric cave painting.
By 1928, that reading had been rejected, with the red bands dismissed as mineral seepage rather than art.
Dr George Nash, who led the new international study, told the newspaper: “This is the earliest prehistoric art we have in Britain.”
He added: “It was never considered to be rock art after 1928, and also it could never be dated, because in those days they didn’t have the scientific means that we have today.”
The cave may need protection
The Guardian furthermore reports that Bacon Hole is in an area of outstanding natural beauty but is not currently a scheduled monument. Archaeologists involved in the work say that status should now be reconsidered.
The cave is under the custodianship of National Trust Cymru. The project involved First Art and academics from institutions including Swansea and Southampton.
Quaternary writes that the artwork dates from a period when Wales was emerging from a severe cold stage of the Devensian glaciation. The surrounding landscape may have supported migratory animals and hunter-fisher-gatherer groups.
The Guardian also noted that Cathole Cave, another Gower site linked to Nash’s earlier work, has rock art dated to roughly 14,500 to 12,500 years ago, making the Bacon Hole markings significantly older.
Sources: The Guardian; Quaternary
