High-Pyrenees Cave Reveals 5,500-Year Copper-Processing Camp
TL;DR
A high-altitude Pyrenees cave, Cova 338, shows a 5,500–6,000-year pattern of seasonal copper processing with 23 hearths and malachite fragments, indicating deliberate mining at altitude by Iberian communities; the site also yielded a child's remains and unique ornaments, highlighting complex alpine mobility and trade.
Topics:sciencehistory-and-archaeology#archaeology#copper-smelting#high-altitude#history-and-archaeology#malachite#pyrenees
- 'They weren't burned by accident': 5,500-Year-Old Pyrenees Cave Camp Uncovered Ancient Origins
- Why cats prefer silver vine to catnip and other May highlights Ars Technica
- A child's tooth and strange green stones uncover a 5,500-year-old mystery ScienceDaily
- Mysterious ancient human settlement discovered 2,000m up a mountain, stunning experts BBC Science Focus Magazine
- Ancient humans had a mining factory in the mountains 7,000 years ago, for 5,000 years WION
Want the full story? Read the original reporting
Read on Ancient Origins