Betalov spodmol | |
 Entrance of the Betal Rock Shelter | |
  Betal Rock Shelter Location in Slovenia | |
| Location | Postojna, municipality |
|---|---|
| Region | Inner Carniola, Slovenia |
| Coordinates | 45°47′33.27″N14°11′16.05″E / 45.7925750°N 14.1877917°E /45.7925750; 14.1877917 |
| Type | karst cave |
| Length | 174 m (571 ft) |
| History | |
| Periods | Palaeolithic,Neolithic,Chalcolithic,Bronze Age,Iron Age |
| Cultures | Mousterian,Aurignacian,Gravettian |
| Associated with | Homo neanderthalensis,Homo sapiens |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1932 to 1939, 1947 to 1953 |
| Archaeologists | Franco Anelli [it],Srečko Brodar |
TheBetal Rock Shelter (Slovene:Betalov spodmol), akarst cave located on the south-eastern edge of the LowerPivka Valley on a slope just above the road fromPostojna toBukovje, is asite where rich cultural sediment layers with remains of stone tools, artifacts, and numerousfossilized bones of contemporary animals were found.[1] Its entrance was formed by the collapse of the 174 m (571 ft) long cave's ceiling, carved out by the waters of thePivka River.
The first excavations were carried out byFranco Anelli [it][2] from 1933 to 1939. He excavated both in the cave and in front of it and found manyPalaeolithic artifacts and numerousfaunal remains, although this work remained mainly unpublished. Systematic recording of the archaeological sequence was begun anew bySrečko Brodar from 1947 to 1953.[1] In the more than 10-meter (33 ft) deep profile of eight cultural horizons, five separate strata revealed the bones of over 2,400 animals and stone tools. However, much of the material in theLate Pleistocene and earlyHolocene sediments found by Anelli is of limited value for scientific research and cannot be put into its correctstratigraphic context because the excavation records of these layers have been lost.[3]
The oldest strata are attributed to the warmMindel-Riss interglacial period followed by theRiss glaciation period, that consisted of rock debris mixed with loam and pieces ofsinter. In it proto-Mousterianstone tools and the fossilized bones of aDeninger's bear have been found, dated to an age of 300,000 years. The next strata of red loam and debris containedfaunal bonefossils fromcave bear(Ursus spelaeus), wolf, theAlpine marmot,Merck's rhinoceros, thecave hyena, wild boar, and elk. The stone toolassemblage discovered in this stratum has been assigned to theHomo neanderthalensisMousterian culture. The following strata also heldPleistocene faunal remains, particularly those of the Alpine marmot, ofreindeer and cave bear. The presence of these fossils points to a deposition during thelast glacial period, theWürm glaciation, which lasted from 110,000 to 11,700 years ago. This layer included numeroustool flakes created throughflintknapping byNeanderthal occupants andmodern humans, who account for the few tools of theGravettian culture. The uppermost stratum includesNeolithic tools and the fossilized bones of wild boar, wolf, and beaver, whose presence suggests the establishment of the most recentHolocene climate. The top coat of this stratum carriedBronze Age andIron Age tools, artifacts, pottery shards, and the skeletal remains ofdomesticated animals.[1][4]
The Betal Rock Shelter has been declared a monument of local importance ofSlovenia and was added to the national Register of Immovable Cultural Heritage under number 859 on December 22, 1984.[5]
