Aveline's Hole
Encyclopedia
Aveline's Hole is a cave at Burrington Combe
in the limestone of the Mendip Hills
, in Somerset
, England
.
The earliest scientifically dated cemetery in Britain
was found at Aveline's Hole. The human bone fragments it contained, from about 21 different individuals, are thought to be between roughly 10,200 and 10,400 years old.
A series of inscribed crosses found on the wall of the Aveline's Hole cave are believed to date from the early Mesolithic
period just after the Ice Age
. The pattern is said to be comparable with others known from Northern France, Germany and Denmark." A gate has been installed in the cave to protect the engraving, after consultations between English Heritage
and other interested parties, including the landowner and English Nature
.
The cave was rediscovered in 1797 by two men digging for a rabbit
. The cave was excavated and the entrance enlarged in 1860 by William Boyd Dawkins
who named it after his mentor William Talbot Aveline
.
Access to the cave is controlled by the University of Bristol Spelæological Society
and is restricted during the bat
hibernation season.
Burrington Combe
Burrington Combe is a carboniferous limestone gorge near the village of Burrington, on the north side of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in North Somerset, England....
in the limestone of the Mendip Hills
Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...
, in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The earliest scientifically dated cemetery in Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
was found at Aveline's Hole. The human bone fragments it contained, from about 21 different individuals, are thought to be between roughly 10,200 and 10,400 years old.
A series of inscribed crosses found on the wall of the Aveline's Hole cave are believed to date from the early Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
period just after the Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. The pattern is said to be comparable with others known from Northern France, Germany and Denmark." A gate has been installed in the cave to protect the engraving, after consultations between English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
and other interested parties, including the landowner and English Nature
English Nature
English Nature was the United Kingdom government agency that promoted the conservation of wildlife, geology and wild places throughout England between 1990 and 2006...
.
The cave was rediscovered in 1797 by two men digging for a rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
. The cave was excavated and the entrance enlarged in 1860 by William Boyd Dawkins
William Boyd Dawkins
Professor Sir William Boyd Dawkins, FRS, KBE was a British geologist and archaeologist. He was a member of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, Curator of the Manchester Museum and Professor of Geology at Owens College, Manchester. He is noted for his research on fossils and the antiquity of man...
who named it after his mentor William Talbot Aveline
William Talbot Aveline
William Talbot Aveline was a British geologist and archaeologist.He was born in Batheaston, Somerset and grew up in Wrington. When he was 18 he became assistant to Henry De la Beche working for the Geological Survey...
.
Access to the cave is controlled by the University of Bristol Spelæological Society
University of Bristol Spelæological Society
The University of Bristol Spelæological Society was founded in 1919 by cavers in the University of Bristol. Among its earliest activities was the archaeological excavation of Aveline's Hole....
and is restricted during the bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
hibernation season.