Hippo, Humans in Wogan Cavern: New Dig

0:00On April 16th, archaeologists just scored big funding for a five-year dig into Wogan Cavern under Pimbro Castle in Wales. This massive cave holds evidence of a hippopotamus roaming Britain 120,000 years ago, plus signs of early humans dropping by for, over 100,000 years. The University of Aberdeen leased the charge after small digs from 2021 to 2024, turned up tons of untouched sediments packed, with bones and tools. Earlier digs flipped old ideas on their head, folks thought Victorians cleared it out way back, leaving nothing behind. Turns out, the caves stay mostly intact, making it one of Britain's top spots for prehistoric clues, from hunter-gatherers right after the last ice. Age 11,500 years ago, to even older visitors. Researchers are buzzing because they hints at early homo sapiens around 45,000 to 35,000 years ago, and may be Neanderthals. Before that, the sites already a game-changer, and bigger excavations could unlock stories on climate shifts, lost animals, and ways of human life in the region.

1:06The Caliva Foundation is bankrolling in, pulling in experts from across Britain and Europe, including science, wizards for cutting-edge analysis. Pimbro Castle, already famous for medieval vibes, and as Henry Tudor's birthplace, sees this as a fresh boost for tourists and history buffs. New work kicks off by late May, promising to peel back layers on our ancient past and cement Wogan cavern spot on the map. Stay tuned as the Secret Surface.