A boulder engraved with a turtle, good acoustics, and torch lighting—what more do you need for a good time?
Interior of a large cavern deep in Manot Cave Interior of a large cavern deep in Manot Cave
large cavern deep in Manot Cave served as a ritual gathering space. Credit: Assaf Peretz, Israel Antiquities Authority
Archaeologists excavating a paleolithic cave site in Galilee, Israel, have found evidence that a deep-cave compound at the site may have been used for ritualistic gatherings, according to a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). That evidence includes the presence of a symbolically carved boulder in a prominent placement, and well as the remains of what may have been torches used to light the interior. And the acoustics would have been conducive to communal gatherings.
Dating back to the Early Upper Paleolithic period, Manot Cave was found accidentally when a bulldozer broke open its roof during construction in 2008. Archaeologists soon swooped in and recovered such artifacts as stone tools, bits of charcoal, remains of various animals, and a nearly complete human skull.
The latter proved to be especially significant, as subsequent analysis showed that the skull (dubbed Manot 1) had both Neanderthal and modern features and was estimated to be about 54,700 years old. That lent support to the hypothesis that modern humans co-existed and possibly interbred with Neanderthals during a crucial transition period in the region, further bolstered by genome sequencing.
The Manot Cave features an 80-meter-long hall connecting to two lower chambers from the north and south. The living section is near the entrance and was a hub for activities like flint-knapping, butchering animals, eating, and other aspects of daily life. But about eight stories below, there is a large cavern consisting of a high gallery and an adjoining smaller "hidden" chamber separated from the main area by a cluster of mineral deposits called speleothems.
That's the area that is the subject of the new PNAS paper. Unlike the main living section, the authors found no evidence of daily human activities in this compound, suggesting it served another purpose—most likely ritual gatherings.
A telltale engraving
A rock carved to look like a turtle was placed in a niche in the cavern.
A rock carved to look like a turtle was placed in a niche in the cavern. The carvings were done approximately 35-37,000 years ago. Credit: Clara Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority
Among the more interesting discoveries was a large engraved dolomite boulder, positioned in a niche along a back cave wall. The etchings resembled a turtle and date back between 35-37,000 years ago. It's the only engraved stone in the cave, and the marks are distinctive, unlike natural erosion features elsewhere in the compound. The marks are consistent with being made with a sharp flint tool. The authors even replicated the marks on a similarly sized dolomite boulder retrieved from the cave using different kinds of rudimentary tools. Tortoise remains are common finds at such sites from the Middle Paleolithic period onward, including at the Manot Cave.
There is ample evidence that prehistoric cave dwellers used various lighting sources to illuminate cave interiors. In 2021, for instance, we reported on how a team of Spanish scientists conducted in situ experiments with three different kinds of Paleolithic lighting sources in the hopes of discovering what those various illumination methods might tell us about the emergence of "human symbolic and artistic behavior" in the form of cave art. That team conducted their experiments at the Isuntza 1 Cave in Spain's Basque country.
The Manot Cave authors found similar evidence of illumination in the deep cave compound, specifically traces of burnt organic material near a stalagmite. "Since no remnants of hearths were uncovered within the ritual compound, it is assumed that the use of fire was likely in the form of a portable source, such as torches or ephemeral short-lived fireplaces that did not leave behind preserved traces," the authors wrote. "These means of lighting would produce less smoke and gas"—an important consideration given the depth of the cave and likely lack of good ventilation.
Finally, the authors performed acoustical measurements at various locations in the deep cave compound and found that the reverberation times were within modern standards for classrooms. So the area would have allowed for "comfortable conversations and listening." Select animal remains are also often associated with ritual spaces. While animal remains from butchering activities were absent, there was a complete antler from a fallow deer that may have had a symbolic purpose.
DOI: PNAS, 2024. 10.1073/pnas.2404632121 (About DOIs).