Archaeologists uncover a prehistoric cave containing 10,000-year-old woolly mammoth bones beneath Henry VII’s Pembroke Castle
- Archaeologists have found a 10,000-year-old mammoth in South Wales
- They dug in a prehistoric cave below Pembroke Castle
- Known as Wogan Cave, the site was used by Ice Age people and animals
- The first Tudor king, Henry VII, was born in the castle in 1457
Bones of a woolly mammoth were found 10,000 years ago in a prehistoric cave beneath the castle where Henry VII was born.
Archaeologists will continue to excavate the limestone cave hidden beneath Pembroke Castle, which dates back to the Stone Age.
They hope to find more evidence of how the site known as Wogan Cave was used by early Ice Age humans and animals.
Pembroke Castle was first built in 1093 and rebuilt a century later, and in 1457 the first Tudor king, Henry VII, was born there.
The bones of the woolly mammoth were discovered by a team of archaeologists in a cave beneath Pembroke Castle in South Wales
The first Pembroke Castle was built over the prehistoric cave in 1093
Scientists have found bones of reindeer and woolly mammoths in a preliminary search of the cave last year, showing it was likely an important Mesolithic site.
dr Rob Dinnis from the University of Aberdeen and Dr. Jenni French from the University of Liverpool will lead the excavation to uncover parts of the cave that have been hidden for more than 10,000 years.
dr Dinnis said: “We are incredibly excited about this year’s dig. Before our work, almost nothing was known about the archeology of Wogan Cave.
“It has long been assumed that the cave was excavated either in the Middle Ages when it formed part of the castle, or during the very poorly documented Victorian antiquarian excavations.
“Our work shows that this is not the case. Instead, it is now clear that the cave has real potential as an early prehistoric site.’
Pembroke Castle was the birthplace of the first Tudor king, Henry VII
Historians had thought the cave was excavated during the construction of the castle, but they have now found evidence of its prehistoric importance
The cave and castle are on the Pembroke River which leads to the Irish Sea and the mouth of the cave was used as a camp in medieval times.
During the 13th century the cave was incorporated into the castle’s defenses, with a large floodgate built over its mouth.
The excavation is funded by the Natural History Museum and the British Cave Research Association.
