Late Ice Age remains found in cave

An archaeologist has revealed that skeletal remains from late Ice Age animals, including hyenas, deer and woolly rhinos, have been found in a cave.

The UK's first complete 'sagaie' - a spearpoint made of reindeer antler from the late Ice Age dating back 15,000 years - was also discovered during the two-week excavation at Kent's Cavern in Torquay, Devon.

The dig is part of a study into when and why Neanderthals became extinct. It was co-directed by Dr Paul Pettitt, senior lecturer in archaeology at the University of Sheffield, and Dr Mark White from the department of archaeology at the University of Durham.

Some of the items from the privately-funded dig at the site, which is also an award-winning tourist attraction, are sent for radiocarbon dating to accurately check their age.

The hyena's teeth and bones could be older than 25,000 years, Dr Pettitt said.

The team hopes to find out when homeo sapiens arrived in the UK and whether it is connected to the death of Neanderthal man, along with more information on later Ice Age life in the cave.

Dr Pettitt and Dr White got Government permission for the dig because Kent's Cavern is a scheduled ancient monument and the oldest recognisable human dwelling in Britain.

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