Inside the cave were stone tools and animal bones similar to tools found elsewhere in Europe known to be used by Homo sapiens.

The finds are particularly significant because there are so few traces of the first Homo sapiens left in England, all of which were excavated in the 19th and early 20th centuries. These new finds can be excavated using more advanced technology.

New resources can lead to different insights

To date, only a small part of the large cavern below Pembroke Castle has been discovered.

But the work would continue all summer, and the finds are so significant indeed that archaeologists are describing the cave as one of the most important in Britain.

Exploration leader Rob Dennis says:

We can now use modern archaeological methods to learn more about this important period. When exactly did these people arrive in Britain? Where did they come from and how did they live in the Ice Age landscape? We can now try to answer such questions, thanks to this amazing cave.

He adds, “It is a big cave and we only explored a small part of it. Who knows what we will find in the coming years?