Gorham's Cave is a cave in Gibraltar, considered to be one of the last known habitations of the Neanderthals. Gorham's cave is located on the south side of the Rock of Gibraltar. When inhabited by Neanderthals, it would have been approximately five kilometers from the sea, but due to changes in sea level is now only a few metres from the Mediterranean sea. Gorham's Cave was discovered by Captain A. Gorham of the 2nd Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers in 1907, after whom the cave takes its name. Binomial name Homo neanderthalensis King, 1864 The Neanderthal or Neandertal was a species of genus Homo (Homo neanderthalensis) that inhabited Europe and parts of western Asia from about 230,000 to 29,000 years ago (in the Middle Palaeolithic, early Stone Age). ... The Rock of Gibraltar as seen from ground level The Rock of Gibraltar, sometimes called the Pillar of Hercules is located in Gibraltar, off the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... The Royal Munster Fusiliers consisted of two regular service and two reserve battalions prior to World War I. Subsequently it had a total of 11 raised battalions. ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Since its discovery, Gorham's cave has been a site of considerable archaeology interest. Excavation of this site has produced 103 items, including spear-points, knives and scraping devices, bearing the marks of Neanderthal craftsmanship. Radiocarbon dating suggests that most of the objects are about 28,000 years old, with the youngest being 24,000 years old. Importance and applicability Most of human history is not described by any written records. ... Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring isotope carbon-14 to determine the age of carbonaceous materials up to ca 60,000 years. ...

External Links

• Article about dates and significance of Neanderthal finds at Gorham's cave.
• Information on Gorham's Cave from the Gibraltar Museum website.
• History of Gorham's Cave from Gibraltar Museum website