La caverne de l'Abîme | |
 | |
  Location in Belgium | |
| Alternative name | Couvin Cave |
|---|---|
| Location | nearCouvin, Province of Namur |
| Region | Wallonia,Belgium |
| Coordinates | 50°3′1″N4°29′51″E / 50.05028°N 4.49750°E /50.05028; 4.49750 |
| History | |
| Material | limestone |
| Periods | Palaeolithic |
| Associated with | Neanderthals |
Trou de l’Abîme also known asLa caverne de l'Abîme andCouvin Cave is akarst cave located inWallonia on the right bank of theEau Noire river in the center ofCouvin,Belgium, inNamur province. During various archaeological excavations of sediment deposits,Mousterian artefacts and aNeanderthalmolar were discovered.[1]
The site consists of a large two level cave with the entrance on the upper level of the western face of anEifelian limestone cliff and a large terrace which forms a rock shelter of 50 m (160 ft) width and 5 m (16 ft) depth.
Excavations of the cave entrance were first conducted in 1887 and 1902 but the evidence recovered from these is lost. There is lithic and paleontological material from a 1905 excavation but as these were found in reworked sediments from the earlier excavations thecontext has been lost.[2][3]
In a series of excavations between 1984 and 1985Palaeolithic stone artifacts andPleistocenefaunal remains were uncovered. Most of the lithic material is flint which had to be transported to the site from a mine at least 30 km (19 mi) away.[4] Associated with the material was a partial human molar.[3] At the time it was found scientists were unable to determine whether it wasHomo sapiens orNeanderthal. A 2009 study was able to identify it as belonging to a Neanderthal child. The soil of the layer where the tooth was found has been estimated to be between 42,000 and 40,000 years old which the authors state "is consistent with both a recently obtainedaccelerator mass spectrometry dating result at 44,500 BP and the published conventional date." TheAMS date is that of a horse tooth found in the same layer.[5]
The 1905 artifacts have been associated with a variety of prehistoric cultures, such asSolutrean,Mousterian, Proto-Solutrean and a transitional culture in between theMiddle andUpper Paleolithic. As of 2016 theassemblage from both the 1905 excavation and the 1980s excavations is considered to beMousterian.[4][5]
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