| Cave of Pego do Diabo | |
|---|---|
| Cave of Loca do Gato (Cat's Den) | |
 | |
 Interactive map of Cave of Pego do Diabo | |
| Location | Loures,Lisbon District,Portugal |
| Coordinates | 38°51′52″N9°13′06″W / 38.86444°N 9.21833°W /38.86444; -9.21833 |
| Depth | 13 metres |
| Elevation | 250 metres |
| Discovery | 1965 |
| Geology | limestone |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Access | Car and 500 metre walk |
| Lighting | no |
| Visitors | free access |
TheCave of Pego do Diabo (also known asLoca do Gato or Cat's Den) is a small karst cave in aTuronian limestone outcrop located about 250 metres above sea level in the municipality ofLoures, about 20 km north ofLisbon inPortugal. The erosion of the outcrop resulted in a set of openings in the rocks wide enough to be exploited by humans. Several archaeological studies have been conducted within the cave, which give insights into the duration ofNeanderthal presence on theIberian Peninsula and to the presence of carnivorous animals during the Paleolithic.[1][2]
The cave consists of a narrow passage about 13 metres long and one metre wide, with a chamber at the end that is about two metres wide. First officially explored in 1965–66 by the Portuguese Speleological Society, it was surveyed in 1976 by theGrupo para o Estudio do Paleolitico Portugues (Group for the Study of the Portuguese Palaeolithic) and at the end of the 1980s by Prof. João Zilhão. About half of the accessible area of the cave has been studied.[1]
Thestratigraphic profile carried out by Zilhão identified six layers to a depth of about 1.4 metres. The upper layer (Layer A), which was only observed at the end of the cave, is indicative of probable use for funerals. Layer 1 contained a mixture of modern andPleistocene items while Layer 2 contained artifacts of theUpper Paleolithic associated with animal remains. Layer 3 also had animal remains but with distinct colouration, possibly caused bymanganese oxides. There were few archaeological materials in Layer 4 and Layer 5 was archaeologically sterile.[2][3]
Zilhão's research usingradiocarbon dating looked for evidence of Neanderthals during the lateAurignacian period (37000-33000 Before the Present). He believed his excavations established a secureterminus ante quem of 34500 years BP for the demise of Neanderthals in the area, although more recent research by Zilhão and others suggests it was earlier than that. This has important implications for the interpretation of the anatomy of theLapedo child, a complete skeleton found by Zilhão nearLeiria in Portugal and believed to be the result of interbreeding between a Neanderthal and a modern human. The dating of the last of the region's Neanderthals to five millennia before the child was borne counters suggestions that Neanderthals could have survived in southwest Iberia until as late as theLast Glacial Maximum (26500 BP). Crossbreeding between immediate ancestors has to be ruled out and the Neanderthal features of the child must represent admixture at the time of contact. Zilhao also considered that his findings had implications for the idea that Neanderthals remained in theGibraltar area until ca.32-28000 BP. He believed that, as hunter-gatherers living at low population densities, residual Neanderthals could not have survived for several millennia as a separate biological entity.[2]
Work by Maria João Valente analysed thefauna of Layers 1 and 2 associated with the Upper Paleolithic. She noted that the cave contained bones of humans, together with those of wolves, bears, and hyenas, theIberian lynx and other small carnivores and birds of prey, and their prey such as rabbits. She hypothesised that there would have been competition between humans and animals for use of the cave and noted that the consecutive use of caves by human communities and carnivores had been identified elsewhere. However, an alternative interpretation was that human groups could have carried animal bones into the caves.[1]