Monday 19th October 2026 -
Marcus Hatch - Gough's Cave, Somerset: an archaeological site that keeps on giving.
Abstract:
The Late Upper Palaeolithic (around 15,000 years ago) and Mesolithic (around 10,000 years ago) site of Gough's Cave, located in Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, is the richest of its kind in Britain. The extensive stone tool, faunal and human assemblages that have been collected and studied over the last 136 years provide a case study in the development of archaeology as a discipline. Excavations to open up the cave began in 1890, 'aided' by the use of dynamite. Today, ancient DNA evidence is being used to reveal new insights into the people that lived there - and their companions. My talk will examine the remarkable archaeological record at Gough's Cave and how far we have come in the methods that can be applied to studying such sites.
Marcus Hatch - Gough's Cave, Somerset: an archaeological site that keeps on giving.
Abstract:
The Late Upper Palaeolithic (around 15,000 years ago) and Mesolithic (around 10,000 years ago) site of Gough's Cave, located in Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, is the richest of its kind in Britain. The extensive stone tool, faunal and human assemblages that have been collected and studied over the last 136 years provide a case study in the development of archaeology as a discipline. Excavations to open up the cave began in 1890, 'aided' by the use of dynamite. Today, ancient DNA evidence is being used to reveal new insights into the people that lived there - and their companions. My talk will examine the remarkable archaeological record at Gough's Cave and how far we have come in the methods that can be applied to studying such sites.