María Medina in the Navarro Cave (Malaga)
Newswise —
For millennia spanning 41,000 years, humans have frequented the Cave of Nerja, serving as a destination for tourists for some and a subject of scientific examination for almost an equal duration. Its capacity to astound visitors and researchers worldwide has persisted throughout its past and into the present.
An international team comprising scholars from the University of Córdoba, Marian Medina (currently affiliated with the University of Bourdeux), Eva Rodríguez, and José Luis Sachidrián, a Prehistory professor and the scientific overseer of the Cave of Nerja, has recently revealed a new discovery in Scientific Reports about the cave located in Malaga province. Their study proves that humanity has been present in Nerja for over 41,000 years, a revelation that predates previous estimations by 10,000 years. Additionally, the cave stands as Europe's most prominent site featuring Paleolithic Art, with the highest number of confirmed and recurrent visits by prehistoric inhabitants.
The recent study has succeeded in documenting 35,000 years of visits to the Nerja Cave, which occurred in 73 distinct phases. Remarkably, the research indicates that human groups entered the cave roughly every 35 years. Such a high level of precision has been possible thanks to the latest techniques in dating coals and fossilized soot remains on the stalagmites of the cave. The technique, known as "smoke archaeology," was developed by Marián Medina, the lead author of the study and an honorary researcher at the University of Córdoba, hailing from the Santa Rosa district. For over a decade, Medina has been analyzing the remnants of torches, fires, and smoke in caves across Spain and France, reconstructing European prehistory.
Medina, who is clearly passionate about her work, highlights the impressive insights that Transmission Electron Microscopy and Carbon-14 dating techniques offer into the rituals and lifestyles of our ancestors. The recent study presents a total of 68 datings, including 48 previously unknown ones from the deepest parts of the cave that display Paleolithic Art. As a result of this research, previously unrecorded chronocultures have been discovered.
Moreover, these "fire archaeologists" can interpret, based on the microscopic information, how torches were handled, and infer the symbolic and scenographic use of fire by humans over 40,000 years ago. As Medina explains, prehistoric paintings were viewed by the flickering light of flames, giving the figures a sense of movement and warmth. She also highlights the funerary use of the Nerja Cave during the latter part of prehistory, spanning thousands of years. "There is still so much that this cave can reveal about our past," she concludes.
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