🇮🇷 Iran · Cave
Yafteh Cave
Upper Palaeolithic (c.35,000–30,000 BP) · Baradostian (Zagros Aurignacian)
UP Aurignacian cave (35–30 ka, Baradostian blades, shell beads) west of Khorramabad.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Cave
Girmeler Cave
Epipalaeolithic to Early Chalcolithic (c.14,000–5500 BCE) · Anatolian Epipalaeolithic → Aceramic Neolithic → Chalcolithic
Lycian karst cave (14 ka) with Epipalaeolithic burials to Aceramic Neolithic herding above Fethiye.
🇲🇦 Morocco · Ancient village
Taforalt Cave (Grotte des Pigeons)
Middle Paleolithic to Epipalaeolithic (85,000–8,000 BP; cemetery 13,000 BCE) · Aterian / Iberomaurusian
Iberomaurusian cemetery cave Taforalt with oldest African funerary bundle and Natufian-linked DNA.
🇿🇦 South Africa · Rock shelter
Border Cave — Early Homo Sapiens Shelter
Middle to Later Stone Age (227–44 ka to Iron Age) · Early Homo sapiens → San foragers
Border Cave is the 50×35 m west-facing shelter 600 m on Lebombo crest 365 m from Eswatini border with 227–44 ka continuous stratigraphy spanning ESA to Iron Age and early Homo sapiens fossils BC 1…
🇧🇷 Brazil · Rock art
Serra da Capivara
Paleo-Indian to Late Prehistoric (9000 BCE – 500 CE) · Nordeste / Agreste
Serra da Capivara in Piauí, Brazil is a Paleo-Indian to Late Prehistoric (9000 BCE – 500 CE) rock art attributed to Nordeste / Agreste culture.
🇿🇦 South Africa · Rock shelter
Diepkloof Rock Shelter — Engraved Ostrich Eggs
Middle Stone Age (130–45 ka, engraved eggs 60 ka) · Still Bay–Howiesons Poort Homo sapiens
Diepkloof Rock Shelter is the 25 m quartzite shelter above Verlorenvlei 15 km E of Elands Bay with 130–45 ka MSA stratigraphy and 270 fragments of engraved ostrich eggshell containers (60 ka…
🇹🇷 Turkey · Cave
Karain Cave
Lower Palaeolithic to Byzantine (500,000 BP–1200 CE) · Tayacian/Clactonian → Acheulean → Mousterian → Upper Palaeolithic
Anatolia's oldest cave (500 ka) at Antalya — Tayacian to Mousterian with Neanderthal and hippo fauna.
🇪🇸 Spain · Cave
Atapuerca — Gran Dolina and Galería Trench
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…
🇹🇷 Turkey · Cave
Üçağızlı 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.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Cave
Karaburun 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).
🇦🇹 Austria · Cave
Willendorf Lower Terrace Venus Layer 9
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.
🇿🇦 South Africa · Cave
Pinnacle Point Caves — Early Modern Human Site
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…
🇿🇦 South Africa · Cave
Blombos Cave — Middle Stone Age Ochre Workshop
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.
🇿🇦 South Africa · Cave
Sterkfontein Caves — Cradle of Humankind
Pliocene-Pleistocene (3.67–0.8 Ma Member 2–5) · Australopithecus africanus / early Homo / Paranthropus
Sterkfontein is the dolomitic limestone cave system 40 km NW of Johannesburg that yielded >500 hominin fossils including Mrs Ples (Australopithecus africanus 2.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Rock shelter
Belbaşı Rock Shelter
Epipalaeolithic to Early Neolithic (12000–6500 BCE) · Epipalaeolithic–Neolithic
Epipalaeolithic to Early Neolithic (12000–6500 BCE) rock-shelter of Epipalaeolithic–Neolithic in Antalya Province, Korkuteli (c.12000 BCE).
🇹🇷 Turkey · Rock shelter
Beldibi Rock Shelter
Epipalaeolithic (14000–9000 BCE) · Epipalaeolithic
Epipalaeolithic (14000–9000 BCE) rock-shelter of Epipalaeolithic in Antalya Province, Kemer (c.14000 BCE).
🇿🇦 South Africa · Rock shelter
Sibudu Cave — Middle Stone Age Rock Shelter
Middle Stone Age (77–38 ka) · Homo sapiens Still Bay–Howiesons Poort–Sibudan
Sibudu is the 55×18 m sandstone cliff shelter above Tongati River where Lyn Wadley found 77–38 ka MSA succession with earliest bow-and-arrow (64 ka quartz segments), earliest bedding (77 ka sedge…
🇮🇷 Iran · Cave
Kaldar Cave
Middle to Upper Palaeolithic (c.54,000–30,000 BP) · Zagros Mousterian → Baradostian
Khorramabad MP–UP cave 5 m (54–30 ka, first Baradostian 54 ka, AMH beads) 5 km N Khorramabad.
🇹🇳 Tunisia · Cave
Cave of Tana-Chott
Moche (100–800 CE) · Moche
Cave of Tana-Chott in Kairouan Governorate, Tunisia is a Moche (100–800 CE) cave attributed to Moche culture.
🇮🇷 Iran · Cave
Ghar-e Boof
Middle Palaeolithic to Epipalaeolithic (c.80,000–15,000 BP) · Zagros Mousterian → Baradostian → Zarzian
Dasht-e Boof Palaeolithic shelter 2 m (80–15 ka, Neanderthal parietal, Zarzian microliths) at 1350 m.
🇩🇿 Algeria · Cave
Rig Ach Grotto
Mississippian (800–1600 CE) · Mississippian
Rig Ach Grotto in Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria is a Mississippian (800–1600 CE) cave attributed to Mississippian culture.
🇰🇷 South Korea · Cave
Harbor Grimston Grotto
Hellenistic (323–31 BCE) · Hellenistic
Harbor Grimston Grotto in Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea is a Hellenistic (323–31 BCE) cave attributed to Hellenistic culture.
🇮🇶 Iraq · Cave
Shanidar Cave
Middle Palaeolithic to Neolithic (c.80,000–9000 BP; Neanderthal Layer D c.70–50 ka) · Mousterian Neanderthal → Baradostian → Zarzian → Neolithic
Zagros Neanderthal cave (80 ka) with nine burials including 'flower burial' Shanidar 4.
🇧🇬 Bulgaria · Cave
Kozarnika Cave
Early to Late Pleistocene · Oldowan / Mousterian / Kozarnikian
Palaeolithic cave in northwest Bulgaria with 1.6 million year sequence, yielding Early Pleistocene lithics, Homo erectus remains, Middle Palaeolithic layers and Upper Palaeolithic Kozarnikian…