In Cave Beneath Castle, a 'Once in a Lifetime Discovery'

The medieval birthplace of Henry VII may soon be better known for far-more-ancient history. Archaeologists say a vast cave beneath Pembroke Castle in Wales is emerging as one of Britain's most important prehistoric sites, with finds spanning from Ice Age hunter-gatherers back to some of Britain's earliest known human inhabitants, per the BBC. Preliminary digs in Wogan Cavern, measuring 75 feet long and more than 30 feet high, have turned up "extremely rare" traces of early Homo sapiens, believed to date from around 45,000 years ago, and possible earlier signs of Neanderthals.

Along with stone tools, researchers from the University of Aberdeen found evidence of mammoth, woolly rhinoceros—even the bones of a hippopotamus who roamed 120,000 years ago. Researchers initially didn't have high hopes for the cave, believed to have been dug out during the Victorian era, thinking most ancient material had been lost. Instead, they made what Aberdeen's Dr. Rob Dinnis describes as "a once in a lifetime discovery" of "a truly remarkable site," per North Wales Live. A major five-year excavation beginning in May aims to explore the site in greater detail. Finds will be kept in Pembroke, where the castle's staff say they're watching "with great interest" as the prehistoric story unfolds beneath their feet.