Hound’s Hole cave, sometimes known as Paviland West Cave, is located on the coast of the Gower Peninsula, South Wales. This cave has been the subject of archaeological excavation and investigation from 1823 and has produced an assemblage of faunal remains and a possible Upper Palaeolithic flint blade.  

The cave entrance measures 7m high by 4m wide and opens into a passage which is 20m long. It is accessible at low tide via a coastal footpath, but it is dangerous and unrecommended to approach the cave at high tide.                                                                                    

Species whose remains were excavated at this site include cave bear, cattle, deer, horse, wolf, and wild ox.  The exact position of these finds in the cave and its stratigraphy is often unclear and no specimens have yet been scientifically dated. However, from the cave’s proximity to sites with similar assemblages and associated upper palaeolithic find we might assume they are Pleistocene specimens. The only lithic artefact produced from Hound’s Hole is a blade of volcanic tuff which was found in a complex and undisturbed stratigraphical sequence discovered in the most recent excavation and identified as a possible Upper Palaeolithic blade.

The first excavation at this site was conducted in 1823 by William Buckland who found a range of faunal remains. Two early 4th century AD coins were found in the spoil of Buckland’s investigation. A second investigation in 1912 by Vivian produced again faunal remains, mainly wolf and cattle. A 1944 excavation by Allen and Rutter, about which little is known, also occurred. Davies investigated the site in 1980 but the latest excavation was in 1977 by Aldhouse-Green. This latest excavation discovered both a complex preserved stratigraphy and a possible stone tool.

Hound’s Hole cave has already produced a notable faunal remains assemblage, however the possible discovery of a stone tool may encourage further study of the site to understand if, how and when animals and humans interacted with this cave site. The dangers of the site at high tide are notable but might not discourage future research entirely. The application of modern methods and a reconsideration of the site may offer further insights into the palaeolithic landscape here.    

Context: Welsh Palaeolithic

The Palaeolithic, also known as the ‘Old Stone Age’ is an era defined by the advent and use of lithic technology by hominids. This period sits within the Pleistocene or ‘Ice Age’ global epoch which lasted from around 2.5 million to 10,000 years before present and contained multiple dramatic climate shifts. Mainland Europe’s Palaeolithic occurred around 1.4 million to 10,000 years ago, but as an era defined by hominin behaviours and presence, the span of the Palaeolithic differs between locations.

The earliest evidence of Welsh hominins comes from Neanderthal remains dated to around 230,000 years ago. However, due to climactic changes in this period, Wales was only occupied intermittently. The first modern human remains found in Wales, known as ‘the Red Lady of Paviland’, date to between 33,000 – 34,000 years ago but the area would later be abandoned between 21,000 to 13,000 years ago. This includes artefacts from one of the last phases of the era, the Early Upper Palaeolithic (38,000-27,000 years before present). Humans in this period continued to rely on lithic technologies and operated in mobile hunter-gatherer social units which were capable of cultural complexities such as ritual burials and art. 

Sources include:

Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust HER PRN 00117w https://archwilio.org.uk/her/chi3/report/page.php?watprn=GGAT00117w

Goat's Hole and hound's hole, paviland cave - paviland cliff, Gower. MNA132642 | National Trust Heritage Records. Available at: https://heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk/HBSMR/MonRecord.aspx?uid=MNA132642  

Sites of archaeological importance (2021) Gower Bone Caves. Available at: https://www.gowerbonecaves.org.uk/gazetteer

Trilobyte, B.M. South Gower Coast Caves, Caves of South Wales. Available at: http://www.ogof.org.uk/areas/south-gower-coast-caves.html

B. Irvine, April 2023

This record was enhanced by B. Irvine (University of Southampton) as part of an MA/MSc work placement with RCAHMW (January to May 2023).