'Enormous' cave hidden under medieval castle could rewrite prehistory, researchers say

'Enormous' cave hidden under medieval castle could rewrite prehistory, researchers say1 hour agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleRosie MercerBBC WalesUniversity of AberdeenArchaeologists say the site is a "once in a lifetime discovery"A cave hidden beneath an 11th Century castle in Pembrokeshire is a "truly remarkable site" which could rewrite Britain's prehistory, researchers say.Small digs of the cave under Pembroke Castle, known as Wogan Cavern, have so far uncovered "extremely rare" evidence of early humans and animals - including the bones of a hippopotamus which roamed Wales 120,000 years ago.The University of Aberdeen will now lead a larger five-year exploration of the site, which archaeologists hope could reveal "a great deal about our early prehistoric forebears"."There is no other site like it in Britain – it is a once in a lifetime discovery," said Dr Rob Dinnis from the University of Aberdeen.University of AberdeenPembroke Castle, the birthplace of Henry Tudor, is a popular tourist attractionWogan Cavern, thought to have been dug out by the Victorians, is accessed via a spiral staircase from the castle.Measuring 23m (75ft) in length, with a height of up to 10m (32ft), the cave has been described as "enormous".It was long assumed that there was little archaeological material left at the site, but small excavations between 2021 and 2024 uncovered evidence of both humans and animals over more than 100,000 years - including stone tools and mammoth, hippo and woolly rhinoceros bones.The BBC filmed during a small-scale dig of the site in 2022The bones have been described as well preserved, and researchers said the cave was emerging as one of the most important prehistoric archives in Britain.Dinnis, who directed the initial digs and will lead the new excavation project, said he was optimistic about what they would uncover."Despite the limited work done so far, we can already say...