Major Archaeological Project to Explore 100,000-Year-Old Cave Beneath Welsh Castle
A significant new archaeological initiative is set to investigate a hidden cave located beneath a historic Welsh castle, where preliminary excavations have already yielded some of Britain's most exceptional prehistoric discoveries. The Calleva Foundation has granted funding to the University of Aberdeen to spearhead a comprehensive five-year exploration of Wogan Cavern at Pembroke Castle.
This site contains remarkable evidence of early prehistoric human activity alongside important animal remains, including a hippopotamus that inhabited Wales approximately 120,000 years ago. The project will receive additional support from the Pembroke Castle Trust, which is expanding its team and enhancing castle facilities to ensure proper curation and preservation of the cavern's findings within Pembroke.
Uncovering a Prehistoric Archive
The enormous cave, accessible via a spiral staircase from the castle, was previously believed to have been excavated by Victorians, with little archaeological material assumed to remain. However, small-scale excavations conducted between 2021 and 2024 revealed abundant evidence of human and animal visits spanning more than 100,000 years, with much of Wogan Cavern's sediments still intact.
Researchers now assert that the cave is rapidly emerging as one of Britain's most crucial prehistoric archives. Dr. Rob Dinnis, who directed the initial excavations, will lead the project for the University of Aberdeen. The new funding will enable archaeologists to expand upon their early work, which has already uncovered bones of mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, reindeer, and wild horse, as well as stone tools and signs of human occupation from multiple periods.
"Despite the limited work done so far, we can already say that Wogan Cavern is a truly remarkable site," stated Dr. Dinnis. "Not only is there extremely rare evidence for early Homo sapiens, there are also hints at even earlier human occupation, probably by Neanderthals. There is no other site like it in Britain - it is a once-in-a-lifetime discovery."
Insights into Climate Change and Human History
With larger-scale excavation, researchers aim to gain insights into past climate change, extinct species, and the various periods when humans inhabited the cave. Dr. Dinnis elaborated, "We are optimistic that the cave can chart a long sequence of human activity, from hunter-gatherers living there immediately after the last Ice Age around 11,500 years ago, back to Britain's earliest Homo sapiens between 45,000 and 35,000 years ago, and maybe also earlier traces likely left by Neanderthals."
"We have also found hippo bones, which probably date to the last interglacial period, around 120,000 years ago. The site could therefore tell us about how multiple changes in climate and environment affected people living there over 100,000 years or more."
The project will leverage the University of Aberdeen's expertise in archaeological science, along with contributions from other leading specialists across Britain and Europe. Professor Kate Britton, a specialist in science-based archaeology at the university, emphasized, "Wogan Cavern provides a unique chance to use all the scientific techniques now available to archaeologists. Because the bones are well preserved, we can learn a lot about past environments and ecosystems, and do high-resolution scientific dating."
"Furthermore, pilot studies have shown that ancient DNA is preserved, in both the bones and the cave sediments. The project's team of specialists are excited to learn as much as possible about the cave and its early inhabitants - animal and human - in the coming years."
A New Chapter for Pembroke Castle
For Pembroke Castle, the birthplace of Henry Tudor and already a popular tourist destination, this project marks an exciting new chapter in its storied history. Dr. Jonquil Mogg, the newly appointed collections manager at Pembroke Castle, remarked, "Pembroke Castle has long been a very important part of Welsh and British history. Wogan Cavern has the potential to also establish it as a place of huge significance to British archaeology."
Jon Williams, Pembroke Castle manager, added, "This is incredibly exciting news for everyone at the castle. We have watched with great interest as Wogan Cavern has started to reveal its secrets - it's very different from the medieval history we usually deal with at the castle!"
"We are thrilled that work on this wonderful cave will continue - we very much look forward to working more with Rob and his team, and securing the collection for the people of Pembroke, Wales and beyond." New excavations are scheduled to commence at the end of May, promising further revelations from this hidden prehistoric treasure.
