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ARCHIVED - Child footprints thought to be 16,500 years old unearthed in Cantabrian cave
The Cantabrian cave of La Garma, a World Heritage site, continues to reveal archaeological surprises after more than 25 years of excavation.
Archaeologists have unearthed yet another new discovery at La Garma cave in Cantabria after finding children's footprints, which could be around 16,500 years-old, in an area of clay soil.
La Garma, declared a World Heritage Site in 2008 by UNESCO, is more than a single cave, it's a system of vertical cavities similar to a nine-story building.
Some are connected to each other and others are not, with cave paintings and a soil rich in Palaeolithic vestiges thanks to prehistoric settlements.
And despite a quarter of a century of continued excavation, it has "once again revealed another archaeological discovery", according to regional vice president and counsellor for Universities and Culture, Pablo Zuloaga, and the excavation directors, Roberto Ontañón and Pablo Aria.
Su estado excepcional de #conservación nos permite conocer el comportamiento de estos humanos hace miles de años❕
— Cuevas Prehistóricas (@CuevasCant) May 17, 2021
Nos hablan de ellas @OntanonR y Pablo Arias del @IIIPC_Cantabria junto a @Pablo_Zuloaga y @zetahv #PatrimonioMundial pic.twitter.com/WHC1qTw5x4
The 13 footprints were discovered at the beginning of April several metres below the lower gallery. They had apparently gone unnoticed for years because the area is much harder to access.
Access was so difficult that the researchers who entered the previously untouched gallery had to be accompanied by professional cavers.
Inside, in an area of clay soil, they found imprints of human fingers and the bare feet of children.
Due to their size, archaeologists believe they could belong to children between six and seven years of age.
"Many are only from the heels, it's as if the little ones walked without stepping fully or as if they did not want to stain their feet", said researchers, suggesting the children could have been playing a game.
Researchers now want to try to determine if they belong to one child or a few, which will be followed by the tricky task of trying to reproduce their physical features and behaviour.
The site will be documented with geomatic techniques - a topographic survey using laser scanners, photogrammetry, high resolution photography and 3D restitution of the complex.
Zuloaga stressed that La Garma it is one of the "banners" of the archaeological heritage of Cantabria and one of the "most important worldwide" Palaeolithic sites.
"This latest finding is further proof that La Garma is extraordinary and infinite," he said.
IMAGE: @CuevasCant/CantabriaTurismo