Sunday, June 16, 2013

When time froze


One thing that has always amazed me about Vanguard Cave is how short-lived events have been trapped, frozen if you like, as easterly winds rapidly brought sand in from outside the cave and covered these moments. I can give you a beautiful example, from yesterday.


Water formed a pool inside the cave, below the hearth that we have been excavating, some time over 40 thousand years ago. It then dried up and was covered by the dune. The imprint of the caked mud was preserved as you can see in these images. Isn't it amazing?



Work on the hearth continued. Above and below are sections through the hearth, showing the fragments of charcoal and burnt areas nicely.



All this is happening at the back of Vanguard Cave where space is at a premium. At least you are in the shade which is great in the hot conditions. The guys sieving outside try to generate their own shade!




Meanwhile, Gerry continues with the cave topography...


Lunchtime in Vanguard Cave

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