Historically Significant Caves From Around the World

Caves were the first permanent residences of early men. Relics and fossils excavated on these caves provided us

valuable information about the lives and culture of our ancestors.

1. Laas Geel: Somalia

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There are still a lot of things to discover about our past. This cave in Somalia just recently provided us additional know-

ledge of the past. Laas Geel, a complex of caves and rock shelters in Somalia is famous for its recently discovered cave

paintings. The caves are located outside Hargeisa. They contain some of the earliest known art in the Horn of Africa and

the African continent in general, dating back to somewhere between 9,000-8,000 and 3,000 BCE.

2. Liang Bua Cave: Indonesia

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In Asia, an important archeological site recently excavated is the Liang Bua Cave on the Island of Flores, Indonesia.

It was the site of the 2003 discovery of a potentially new species of Homo genus, Homo florensis, the remains of which

are coded LB1, LB2, etc, after the cave. So far it is the only location in which such remains have been identified.

3. Cave of Letters: Israel

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Israel has always been one of the most important sources of archeological finds and one of these many sites is the

Cave of Letters. This is a cave located in the Dead Sea area that contained one of the largest caches of ancient docu-

ments and personal correspondence ever discovered in the land of Israel. This cave was discovered in 1960, the cave

contained letters from Bar Kochba, leader of the Third Jewish Revolt, as well as other documents from that period. Since

its discovery the letters found there have slowly been published, but not yet in its entirety.

4. Cave of Archedemos the Nympholept: Greece

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An archeological site that provided the world with some significant findings is the Cave of Archedemos the Nympholept.

This small cave is located somewhere in Attica, Greece. The cave is unique in Greece because ancient sculptures hewn

into the living rock of the cave exist. In fact, the sculptures are carved into a calcite column and flowstone within the cave.

The cave was used from the Archaic period and reused in Early Christian times. The marble votive tablets from the cave

are now exhibited at the National Archeological Museum of Athens.

5. G?ar Dalam: Malta

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G?ar Dalam which literally means "Cave of Darkness" is an extraordinary pre-historical cul de sac containing the bone

remains of animals that were stranded and subsequently became extinct on Malta at the end of the Ice Age. This cave

was the site where remains of extinct animals were found like dwarf elephant, hippopotamus, deer and bear. Their bone

deposits found here are of a different age; the hippopotamuses became extinct about 180,000 years ago, whilst the deer

species became extinct much later, about 18,000 years ago. It is also here that the earliest evidence of human settlement

on Malta, some 7,400 years ago, was discovered.

6. Niah Caves: Malaysia

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Niah Caves is an important cave in the Southeast Asian region where important pre-historical human remains were

found dating to 40,000 years. This is the oldest recorded human settlement in East Malaysia. Painted Cave, situated

in a much smaller limestone block of its own, some 150 meters from the Great Cave block's south eastern tip, has r

ock paintings dated as 1,200 years old. The caves are also well known for the birds' nest industry. It is a popular tourist

destination in Sarawak.

7. Zhoukoudian : China

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Archeological finds in China have given us early idea about early men. One significant archeological site in that country

is Zhoukoudian or Choukoutien. This is a cave system near Beijing in China. It has yielded many archeological disco-

veries, including one of the first specimens of Homo erectus or commonly called Peking Man, and a fine assemblage of

bones of the gigantic hyena Pachycrocuta brevirostris. The Peking Man lived in this cave approximately 200,000 to 500,000

years ago.

8. Tabon Caves: Philippines

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Tabon cave is the site of important Philippine Archaeological discoveries. The Tabon caves are a set of caves in Quezon,

Palawan, Philippines. They are famous for the found skull cap remains of the Tabon Man, which are 22,000 years old.

Bones of elephants have also been found in the area signifying that the Philippines was once connected to mainland Asia.

9. Lascaux Cave: France

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One of the most popular sites in the world for its prehistoric cave paintings is Lascaux Caves. They contain some of the

most well-known Upper Paleolithic art. These paintings are estimated to be 16,000 years old. They primarily consist of

realistic images of large animals, most of which are known from fossil evidence to have lived in the area at the time. In

1979, Lascaux was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

10. Font de Gaume: France

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Still in Europe, one important cave which houses a collection of prehistoric polychrome cave paintings is Font de Gaume.

It is a cave in southwestern France and is a popular site for tourists. Font de Gaume holds over 200 polychrome paintings

and is considered the best example of polychrome painting other than Lascaux. The paintings in Font de Gaume include

depictions of more than 80 bison, approximately 40 horse depictions, and more than 20 mammoth depictions.

11. Pe?tera cu Oase: Romania

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In Europe, another significant archeological site is Pe?tera cu Oase (The Cave with Bones), a system of 12 karstic galleries

and chambers located in Romania. This cave is where the oldest modern human remains (between 35,000 and 40,000 years

old) in Europe have been found.

12. Altamira: Spain

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Another popular cave in Europe because of its Upper Paleolithic cave paintings is Altamira. Altamira, Spanish for "high

view", is a cave in Spain which features drawings and polychrome rock paintings of wild mammals and human hands.

The cave with its paintings has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

13. Cueva de los Casares: Spain

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Another notable cave in Spain is Cueva de los Casares. It was discovered in 1933 and contains a number of Paleolithic

cave paintings and is most notable for a series of paintings depicting what some have argued is the earliest representation

of human understanding of the reproductive process, featuring images of copulation (perhaps mediated by a mysterious

shaman figure), pregnancy, childbirth, and family life. Mammoths and other animals feature frequently in the illustrations.

There are many representations of animals, anthropomorphs (human-like figures), and ideomorphs (including penises,

vulvas, tools, and more abstract images). The cave and its paintings are little known to scholars outside Spain.

14. Karain Cave: Turkey

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A site where evidence of human habitation had been found is Karain Cave. This is a cave and a Paleolithic archaeological

site located in Turkey. These evidences date back to the early Paleolithic age (150,000-200,000 years). The Museum of

Anatolian Civilizations hosts an extensive collection of artifacts from the excavations at Karain. The stone and bone tools

of the people of that Age are exhibited in the museum.

15. Priest's Grotto: Ukraine

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This cave had saved a few Jewish lives during the Nazi occupation of Ukraine during the Second World War. The Priest's

Grotto is a cave in Ukraine, part of the extensive Gypsum Giant cave system, now known to be among the longest in the

world at over 77 miles explored. Several Jewish families lived in the cave during the Nazi occupation, some of them never

exiting for over an entire year. Thirty-eight Jews survived the occupation in this way (during a period when 95% of Jews in

Ukraine were exterminated and only 1% of families survived intact).

16. Actun Tunichil Muknal: Belize

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One remarkable cave in South America for its archeological importance is Actun Tunichil Muknal. It is a cave in Belize.

As a Maya archaeological site, this cave is notable for its skeletons, ceramics, and stoneware. The most famous of

the human remains is known as "The Crystal Maiden". It is the skeleton of a teenage girl, probably a sacrifice victim,

the bones of which have been completely covered by the natural processes of the cave, leaving them with a sparkling

appearance. There are several such skeletons in the Main Chamber. The ceramics at the site are significant partially

because they are marked with "kill holes", which indicates they were used for ceremonial purposes.

Without these archeological sites we will not have a clear understanding on the life and culture of primitive people.

For holy caves see

Five Holy Caves in the World

For more spectacular caves in the Philippines see

Top Six Most Popular Caves in the Philippines

Spectacular Caves in the Philippines

Spectacular Caves From Around The World