CRESWELL CRAGS, ENGLAND.- For the first time, an English cave is on show to the public after its discovery as announced last month. Around 80 engraved figures that could be around 12,000-years-old were discovered last month.
New research this year at Creswell Crags has revealed the World’s most elaborately carved cave ceiling dating to around 13,000 years old according to the research team who have been studying the art. The specialist team, comprising Dr Sergio Ripoll, Dr Paul Pettitt, Dr Paul Bahn, and Dr Francisco Muñoz, have made extraordinary new discoveries during two further research episodes this year. Following the initial discovery of 12 engraved figures depicting birds and a deer (first thought to be an ibex) among other animals in April 2003, findings which took the archaeological world by storm, now further research, again funded by English Heritage, indicates the presence of in excess of 80 engraved figures in the soft limestone rock of Church Hole cave, Creswell Crags (Nottinghamshire).
Dr Sergio Ripoll explained that ’The good natural light both in April and June of this year, and the realisation that the Ice Age artists who were visiting Church Hole were actually modifying the natural shapes in the limestone, has enabled us to see many new animal figures including representations of bison, deer, bears, plus two or three species of bird including a beautiful and unique depiction of a bird-head with a long curved bill’.
Dr Paul Bahn added, ’The sunny mornings especially provided an opportunity to see the cave illuminated by a brilliant reflected light, presumably how our Ice Age ancestors meant for the art to be experienced, conditions which revealed a number of bas-relief figures carved into the soft and very sandy Magnesian limestone.’ Dr Bahn went onto explain that, ’bas-reliefs on cave ceilings are extremely rare even on the continent (the single depictions in the Abri Pataud and the Abri du Poisson, France come to mind), it is obvious that Church Hole possesses the most richly carved and engraved ceiling in the whole of cave art.’
During the most recent recording work at Church Hole at the beginning of July the research team were pleased to welcome Michel Lorblanchet, the leading European cave art specialist from the National Centre for Scientific Research, France. Dr Lorblanchet commented that, ’This is a discovery of huge importance which is something new and highly original not only in its geographical location, which shows that cave art extends over a much vaster area than we thought, but also in the themes and techniques displayed in Church Hole’. Dr Lorblanchet added that, ’This will cause specialists to rethink many things about the cave art on the continent’.
