Spanish researchers from the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) and the Merida Institute of Archaeology have identified a cave in northeastern Spain that acted as a burial site for a span of roughly four millennia. The site reveals evidence of use by both ancient humans and Neanderthals, with findings reported in Live Science and related scientific outlets. [Attribution: Live Science]
The Cova dels Charagals, also known as the Cave of the Passage, lies about 90 kilometers from Barcelona. Researchers estimate that it became a tomb some seven thousand years ago, with more than seven thousand bone fragments recovered from the natural underground chamber. The age of the discoveries stretches from the Stone Age through the Copper Age, indicating a long history of burial practices at the site. [Attribution: IPHES and Merida Institute of Archaeology]
Analyses of the funerary artifacts reveal social differentiation in burial customs. Individuals of higher status were interred in distinctive graves, separate from the ordinary deceased who received public burial spaces. The distribution and arrangement of grave goods support interpretations of rank, ritual practice, and community structure in prehistoric Iberia. [Attribution: Live Science]
During excavations, researchers recovered bronze and silicon tools, pottery, jewelry, and other items, suggesting a rich material culture accompanying the burials. These artifacts illuminate long-term occupational patterns at the site and point to connections with broader Neolithic and Bronze Age networks across the region. [Attribution: IPHES]
Beyond human remains, the cave also yielded animal bones, including wild goat remains, and charcoal deposits that date well beyond 45,000 years. This indicates a long, continuous occupation in the area, with Neanderthals inhabiting the broader landscape long before the emergence of modern humans in the region. The discovery adds another layer to the understanding of how early peoples used caves for shelter, ritual, and burial across multiple prehistoric eras. [Attribution: Merida Institute of Archaeology]
In a related note, earlier archaeologists documented the tomb of a former leader in Panama containing numerous gold items, illustrating the diverse and remarkable burial traditions uncovered in different parts of the world. [Attribution: Regional Archaeology Reports]