Grotta del Cavallo

Grotta del Cavallo
Grotta del Cavallo
Cavallo Cave
Location	Apulia, Italy
Coordinates	40°9′18″N 17°57′36″E / 40.15500°N 17.96000°E
Geology	limestone

The Grotta del Cavallo or Cavallo Cave (Italian:"Cave of the Horse") is a limestone cave in the region of Apulia, Southern Italy, near Nardò 90 km (55.92 mi) south of Taranto. The cave is about 15 m (49 ft) above present sea level. It has a rounded entrance, 5 m (16.40 ft) wide and 2.5 m (8.20 ft) high opening toward the sea. The cave was rediscovered in 1960 and two waves of excavations ensued. The first wave spanning from 1963 to 1966 and the second from 1986 to 2008. The cave was disturbed by looters during the period between the two waves of excavations, damaging the layers corresponding to the Upper Palaeolithic; because of this, the cave entrance is covered by a gate and is closed to the public.^[1]

^ Benazzi, Stefano; Douka, Katerina; Fornai, Cinzia; Bauer, Catherine C.; Kullmer, Ottmar; Svoboda, Jiří; Pap, Ildikó; Mallegni, Francesco; Bayle, Priscilla; Coquerelle, Michael; Condemi, Silvana; Ronchitelli, Annamaria; Harvati, Katerina; Weber, Gerhard W. (2011). "Early dispersal of modern humans in Europe and implications for Neanderthal behaviour". Nature. 479 (7374). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 525–528. Bibcode:2011Natur.479..525B. doi:10.1038/nature10617. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 22048311.

[Nature2011-1] Benazzi, Stefano; Douka, Katerina; Fornai, Cinzia; Bauer, Catherine C.; Kullmer, Ottmar; Svoboda, Jiří; Pap, Ildikó; Mallegni, Francesco; Bayle, Priscilla; Coquerelle, Michael; Condemi, Silvana; Ronchitelli, Annamaria; Harvati, Katerina; Weber, Gerhard W. (2011). "Early dispersal of modern humans in Europe and implications for Neanderthal behaviour". Nature. 479 (7374). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 525–528. Bibcode:2011Natur.479..525B. doi:10.1038/nature10617. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 22048311.

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