Betal Rock Shelter
Betal Rock Shelter (Slovene: Betalov spodmol) is a Paleolithic cave site with the remains of tools and bones of hunted animals. It is located on a slope just above the road from Postojna to Bukovje.[1] Its entrance was created by the ceiling collapse of a 174-meter (571 ft) cave that was carved out by an influent stream from the Pivka Basin.
The first excavations at the rock shelter were carried out by Franco Anelli from 1933 to 1939, and the archaeological site was then systematically studied by Srečko Brodar from 1947 to 1953.[1] In an excavated profile over 10 meters (33 ft) deep, five separate strata revealed the bones of various animals and stone tools. The oldest strata in the profile are from the warm Mindel-Riss interglacial, and above it is Riss glacial debris mixed with loam and pieces of sinter. Here stone proto-Mousterian tools and the bones of a cave bear and Deninger's bear have been found (c. 300,000 years old). This is followed by strata of red loam and debris with finds of bone from species including the cave bear, wolf, alpine marmot, Merck's rhinoceros, cave hyena, wild boar, and elk. The remains of stone tools in this stratum are of Mousterian age. This is followed by strata with the remains of glacial fauna, characterized especially by alpine marmot, reindeer, and cave bear. The remains of glacial fauna point to the late Würm glaciation, which lasted from 115,000 to 11,700 years ago. This layer includes finds of many flint flakes from tool-making by Neanderthals and later Cro-Magnons, as well as a few tools of Gravettian age. The uppermost stratum includes Neolithic tools and the remains of bones of wold boar, wolf, and beaver, which point to a similar climate as that of today. The upper part of this stratum includes finds of Bronze Age tools and Iron Age ceramics and remains of domestic animals.[1]
Betal Rock Shelter is one of the most important Paleolithic cave sites in Slovenia.
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Coordinates: 45°47′33.27″N 14°11′16.05″E / 45.7925750°N 14.1877917°E