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CategoriesCaves
Caverns used as shelter, sanctuary or burial place — and often painted.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Temple complex
Roman (2nd c. CE) over Bronze Age cave · Roman Syriac Moon cult (Sin of Harran)
Tek Tek ridge excavated by Drijvers 1960s, Syriac dedications to Sin/Maralhe, Byzantine reuse, moon-cult processional road.
🇬🇷 Greece · Cave
Classical to Roman (400 BCE–100 CE) · Athenian
Cave of Pan at Vari in Attica, Greece is a Classical to Roman (400 BCE–100 CE) cave attributed to Athenian.
🇮🇳 India · Rock-cut
Gupta–Kalachuri (530 CE) · Shaivite Hindu (Brahmanical)
Mandapeshwar Cave — Borivali in Maharashtra, India is a Gupta–Kalachuri (530 CE) rock_cut attributed to Shaivite Hindu (Brahmanical).
🇹🇷 Turkey · Cave
Upper Palaeolithic to Early Neolithic (c.21,000–6000 BCE; intensive 17,000–11,800 cal BP) · Anatolian Epipalaeolithic → Early Neolithic
Epipalaeolithic flagship 900 m from Karain (17–11.8 ka) with engraved plaquettes and marine network.
🇮🇳 India · Rock-cut
Mauryan to Gupta (200 BCE–500 CE) · Jain (Kharavela)
Ranigumpha — Khandagiri Rear Cave Cluster in Odisha, India is a Mauryan to Gupta (200 BCE–500 CE) rock_cut attributed to Jain (Kharavela).
🇪🇸 Spain · Cave
Early to Middle Pleistocene · Acheulean / Homo antecessor
Key trench complex (Gran Dolina, Galería, Elefante) in Cueva Mayor-Cueva del Silo system, Sierra de Atapuerca, yielding Homo antecessor (850 ka, TD6), Homo heidelbergensis and earliest cannibalism…
🇧🇪 Belgium · Cave
Middle to Late Palaeolithic to Neolithic · Aurignacian / Gravettian / Neolithic
Network of limestone caves 15 m above Samson River near Mozet, with Aurignacian to Neolithic occupations (45,000–3000 BCE), early modern human remains, Neanderthal DNA and famous 35,000-year-old…
🇹🇷 Turkey · Cave
Initial Upper Palaeolithic to Epipalaeolithic (c.43,000–17,000 BP) · Early Ahmarian → Aurignacian (Levantine IUP)
Hatay sea cave (43 ka) — Initial Upper Palaeolithic Ahmarian with Nassarius beads.
🇧🇪 Belgium · Cave
Middle Palaeolithic to Neolithic · Mousterian / Aurignacian / Neolithic
Limestone cave in Flémalle with Mousterian to Neolithic deposits (70,000–2500 BCE), Neanderthal tooth, Upper Palaeolithic engravings and Neolithic collective burial.
🇨🇳 China · Cave
Paleolithic to Early Neolithic (20000–7500 BCE; pottery 12000 BCE) · Xianrendong–Diaotonghuan culture (world's earliest pottery)
Xianrendong Cave is the type site for the world's earliest pottery (12000 BCE) — 20 000-year stratigraphy with oldest pottery sherds, wild rice phytoliths (12000 BCE), and Paleolithic tools in…
🇹🇷 Turkey · Cave
Middle Palaeolithic – Neolithic (70,000–6000 BCE) · Middle Palaeolithic to Epipalaeolithic
Middle Palaeolithic – Neolithic (70,000–6000 BCE) cave of Middle Palaeolithic to Epipalaeolithic in Antalya Province, Teke Peninsula (c.70000 BCE).
🇺🇸 United States · Ancient village
Sinagua (c.1100–1400 CE) Southern Sinagua Classic · Sinagua
Montezuma Castle – neither castle nor Aztec – is North America's best-preserved cliff dwelling, inset 30 m up a vertical limestone cliff above Beaver Creek in Verde Valley, Arizona.
🇩🇪 Germany · Cave
Upper Palaeolithic (35000–12000 BP) · Upper Palaeolithic
Hohle Fels Venus Figurine Horizon IV in Baden-Württemberg, Hohle Fels, Germany is a Upper Palaeolithic (35000–12000 BP) cave attributed to Upper Palaeolithic.
🇦🇹 Austria · Cave
Upper Palaeolithic (35000–12000 BP) · Upper Palaeolithic
Willendorf Lower Terrace Venus Layer 9 in Lower Austria, Willendorf, Austria is a Upper Palaeolithic (35000–12000 BP) cave attributed to Upper Palaeolithic.
🇱🇾 Libya · Cave
Upper Palaeolithic (35000–12000 BP) · Upper Palaeolithic
Jebel Akhdar Hadd Cave Layer 4 in Cyrenaica, Jebel Akhdar, Libya is a Upper Palaeolithic (35000–12000 BP) cave attributed to Upper Palaeolithic.
🇮🇳 India · Cave
Upper Palaeolithic (35000–12000 BP) · Upper Palaeolithic
Ajanta Cave 17 Veranda Mural in Maharashtra, Ajanta, India is a Upper Palaeolithic (35000–12000 BP) cave attributed to Upper Palaeolithic.
🇺🇸 United States · Cave
Paleo-Indian to Middle Archaic (10,500 – 4000 BCE) · Southeast Paleo-Indian / Early Archaic
Dust Cave in Alabama, United States is a Paleo-Indian to Middle Archaic (10,500 – 4000 BCE) cave attributed to Southeast Paleo-Indian / Early Archaic culture.
🇺🇸 United States · Cave
Paleo-Indian to Mississippian (6500 BCE – 1000 CE) · Southeast Archaic to Woodland
Russell Cave National Monument in Alabama, United States is a Paleo-Indian to Mississippian (6500 BCE – 1000 CE) cave attributed to Southeast Archaic to Woodland culture.
🇧🇷 Brazil · Cave
Early Holocene (c.12000–8000 BCE) Lagoa Santa Paleoindian · Lagoa Santa Paleoindian (Luzia horizon)
Lapa do Santo is a Lower Karst limestone rockshelter at Mocambeiro, northern Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais, at 730 m.
🇰🇪 Kenya · Ancient village
Middle Stone Age to Pastoral Neolithic (46,000–3000 BP) · MSA → LSA → Savanna Pastoral Neolithic
Mau Escarpment Twilight Cave Enkapune Ya Muto — 40,000-year-old ostrich eggshell beads at 2,400 m.
🇿🇦 South Africa · Cave
Middle Stone Age (164–50 ka) · Early Homo sapiens coastal foragers
Pinnacle Point is the 164,000–50,000 BP sea-cliff cave complex (PP13B, PP5-6) 12 km E of Mossel Bay where Marean found earliest heat-treated silcrete (72 ka), bladelet microliths, marine shellfish…
🇫🇷 France · Rock art
Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE) · Palaeolithic to Iron Age
Chauvet–Pont d'Arc — Detached Panel Bear Gallery in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Ardèche, Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, France is a Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE…
🇮🇱 Israel · Cave
Natufian to PPN · Mount Carmel Natufian
Nahal Oren Cave Terrace Carmel at Mount Carmel, Israel is a Natufian to PPN cave of the Mount Carmel Natufian tradition, built c. 13000 BCE for cave and terrace natufian burials ppna village.
🇿🇦 South Africa · Cave
Middle Stone Age (100–70 ka ochre horizon, Still Bay 75 ka) · Homo sapiens Middle Stone Age (Still Bay/Howiesons Poort)
Blombos Cave is the 34 m-apse calcarenite sea-cliff shelter 300 km E of Cape Town where Christopher Henshilwood found 100,000–70,000 BP ochre workshop and earliest abstract engravings.
