The University of Aberdeen has been awarded funding to lead a five-year exploration of Wogan Cavern at Pembroke Castle.
Wogan Cavern is said to house evidence of early prehistoric humans as well as important animal remains – such as the 120,000-year-old hippo.
The project, which is funded by the Calleva Foundation, will see researchers from the University of Aberdeen join forces with other leading specialists across Britain and Europe.
The cave was thought to have been dug out by the Victorians, and it was long assumed that little archaeological material remained.
However, small‑scale excavations between 2021 and 2024 uncovered ‘remarkable’ evidence for human and animal visits over more than 100,000 years, with much of Wogan Cavern’s sediments remaining intact.
This, say researchers, means the cave is rapidly emerging as one of the most important prehistoric archives in Britain.
Dr Rob Dinnis, who directed the initial excavations, will lead the project for the University of Aberdeen.
“Despite the limited work done so far, we can already say that Wogan Cavern is a truly remarkable site,” he told STV News.
“Not only is there extremely rare evidence for early Homo sapiens, there are also hints at even earlier human occupation, probably by Neanderthals.
“There is no other site like it in Britain – it is a once‑in‑a‑lifetime discovery.
“With this new project we can learn a great deal about our early prehistoric forebears, about how they lived and what their worlds looked like.”
The researchers said larger scale excavations could provide insights into past climate change, extinct species, and the multiple periods when humans called the cave their home.
Dr Dinnis continued: “We are optimistic that the cave can chart a long sequence of human activity, from hunter-gatherers living there immediately after the last Ice Age around 11,500 years ago, back to Britain’s earliest Homo sapiens between 45,000 and 35,000 years ago, and maybe also earlier traces likely left by Neanderthals.
“We have also found hippo bones, which probably date to the last interglacial period, around 120,000 years ago.
“The site could therefore tell us about how multiple changes in climate and environment affected people living there over 100,000 years or more.”
Professor Kate Britton, a specialist in science-based archaeology at the University of Aberdeen, said: “Wogan Cavern provides a unique chance to use all the scientific techniques now available to archaeologists.
“Because the bones are well preserved, we can learn a lot about past environments and ecosystems, and do high-resolution scientific dating.
“Furthermore, pilot studies have shown that ancient DNA is preserved, in both the bones and the cave sediments.
The project’s team of specialists are excited to learn as much as possible about the cave and its early inhabitants – animal and human – in the coming years.”
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