Palaeolithic Site
Bontnewydd was excavated from 1978 by a team from the University of Wales, led by Dr Stephen Aldhouse Green. Teeth and part of a jawbone excavated in the cave in 1981 were dated to 230,000 years ago. The bone is from a Neanderthal boy approximately eleven years old.
Based on the morphology and age of the teeth, particularly the evidence of taurodontism (enlarged pulp cavities and short roots), the teeth are believed to belong to a group of Neanderthals who hunted game in the vale of Elwy in an interglacial period.
The site is the most north-western site in Eurasia for remains of early hominids and is considered of international importance. Other key paleolithic sites in the UK are Happisburgh, Pakefield, Boxgrove, Swanscombe, Kents Cavern, Paviland, and Gough's Cave.
Read more about this topic: Bontnewydd Palaeolithic Site
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