Further possible discoveries of engravings within Cathole Cave, Gower, Swansea (UBSS Proceedings v.26(3))

Abstract: In September 2010 the author discovered a possible Late Upper Palaeolithic engraving of a cervid in Cathole Cave on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales (Figure 1). Members of the NERC-Open University Uranium Series Facility extracted samples from the surface on which the engraving was made in April 2012, together with a sample from a section of flowstone covering part of the reindeer's muzzle.A single date of 12,572 ± 600 years BP was obtained from the overlying flowstone, suggesting a minimum age for the engraving (Nash et al. 2010, 2012). This discovery prompted the author to explore the cave with a greater degree of scrutiny. As part of the remit to record this and other features within the cave, the Welsh heritage agency CADW commissioned a 3D digital survey of the main galley and side chambers of the cave. This survey allowed the team to produce an accurate and definitive plan of the cave (Nash and Beardsley, 2012). In addition, a survey was undertaken in July 2012 where the majority of the accessible surfaces of the cave were explored. This paper describes the results of that phase of work.