Paviland Cave (AW218)
©Paul Edwards 2010
Taken in the afternoon in February 2010, at NGR SS4370085876. Paviland Cave, also known as Goat's Hole, is famous for the discovery of "The Red Lady of Paviland" the oldest known ceremonial burial in Western Europe. The bones were discovered in 1823 and originally thought to be female, but were later found to be from a man, aged no more than 21, who lived around 30,000 years ago. Evidence from local remains, including items made from ivory, indicates that he may have been a nomadic hunter travelling across northern Europe in pursuit of mammoth and reindeer. This was during the Ice Age, when Britain was still joined by land to the rest of Europe and the cave would have been surrounded by land, in contrast to its present location overlooking the sea. Canon EOS 40D, Canon EF-S 10-22mm lens at 10mm, Manfrotto tripod. Exposure F16 at 1/20 secs. Original image in Raw format.