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Nelson Bay Cave

Nelson Bay Cave, previously known as Wagenaar's Cave, is a coastal archaeological site in the Robberg Nature Reserve on the Robberg Peninsula in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa, about 250 km east of Cape Town. The cave is 18 meters (59 ft) wide and 35 meters (115 ft) deep, and the cave opening is 21 meters (68 ft) above mean sea level. The cave was amongst the first sites excavated in the southern Cape aimed at recording changes in terrestrial fauna caused by changes in climate and sea levels. It documents environmental changes during glacial and interglacial periods. Additionally, the cave is recognized for its Stone Age artifacts that show the transition from Middle Stone Age (MSA) to Later Stone Age (LSA) technologies. It has been regarded as a type-site (site where a particular industry, period, or any significant evidence was first studied in detail and can be used as a standard to be referenced by other sites) of the Robberg Later Stone Age Industry.

Cave data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

More caves in South Africa

  1. Blombos Cave
  2. Boomplaas Cave
  3. Border Cave
  4. Cango Caves
  5. Coopers Cave

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