HUMANS from 8,000 years ago left traces in a 40-mile-deep cave that prove they were somehow able to maneuver through its extreme complexity.
Saint-Marcel Cave in Bidon, France, is one of the most complex caves in the world, but traveling deep is considered dangerous.
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A group of scientists discovered that cave humans took up the challenge of exploring the cave thousands of years ago.
Diving in the Saint-Marcel Cave today is considered complicated, even with extensive equipment, especially lighting.
This is because the cave has deep pits and dangerous paths.
The research was led by geomorphologist Jean-Jacques Delannoy, from the French National Center for Scientific Research.
The study is titled: Investigating Human Activities in Caves Through the Study of Broken Stalagmite Structures: The Case of Saint-Marcel Cave (France) During the Early Holocene.
It was published in Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory on April 10th.
CLUES OF ANCIENT HUMANS
Scientists found broken stalagmites, which are sharp pieces that fall from the ceiling, more than 1.5 km from its opening.
This led to suspicions as to when they were interrupted, considering few humans can make it that far into the cave.
There was specifically a group of cave pieces placed in a structure-like formation.
Scientists ran dating tests to identify a time period for the pieces used in the structure and concluded that it occurred 8,000 years ago.
“This discovery and the fact that the structures are around 8,000 years old is exceptional,” said Delannoy PNAS.
“This raises the question of cave knowledge in that prehistoric period, their ability to explore and cross wells, and their mastery of enlightenment.”
Other pieces date back at most 10,000 years ago.
The cave’s most recent broken pieces date back to 3,000 years ago.
MORE SOPHISTICATED THAN YOU EXPECT
The discoveries encouraged scientists to do more research into the lives of the humans who occupied the caves at the time.
It also sheds light on new possibilities of what people were capable of back then in what is considered complicated.
“The evidence for prehistoric human activity in the Saint-Marcel cave is conclusive,” the study states.
“The results of our study are changing the way we look at the Saint-Marcel cave network, giving them a cultural dimension linked to prehistoric use.
“The results from the Saint-Marcel cave invite us to take a new look at these societies, their use of caves, until now considered limited to entrance areas, their involvement with deep underground landscapes and the associated symbolic dimensions. “
“They bring to light the involvement of past human communities with the deep underground environment.
“Which can only be accessed by crossing obstacles (wells) that, today, are considered difficult to overcome.”
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