Wolf cave, Kristiinankaupunki, links

Some links to Wolf cave, my favorite place in my home town!
(Has to do with Neanderthalians, like the previosly blogged article too!)

http://www.susiluola.fi/eng/index_eng.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_Cave

http://edu.krs.fi/matkailu_turism/english/index.php?sivu=luonto&a=esite_alaotsikot&b=luonto_b

http://edu.krs.fi/museo/english.html

www.susiluola.fi

http://www.hs.fi/english/picture/1076153747068

http://www.visitfinland.com/w5/index.nsf/(Pages)/pori_Tour

http://remotecentral.blogspot.com/2007/05/wolf-cave-kristiinankaupunki-finland.html

An article by Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News

Last Neanderthals Were Smart, Sophisticated Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News

No Simple Life

June 23, 2008 -- Neanderthals were hardly a weak group just before their extinction around 30,000 years ago, suggests new research. On the contrary, Britain's last Neanderthals had sophisticated weapons and lived in strategic spots, demonstrating impressive command of their territory.

Archaeologists analyzing 180 flint tools and weapons, which survived an original collection of 2,300 artifacts found in 1900 at a site called Beedings near Pulborough, England, have traced them to the Neanderthals, according to an announcement made today by the University College London Institute of Archeology.

The discoveries were also recently reported in British Archeology magazine.

"The tools we've found at the site are technologically advanced and potentially older than tools in Britain belonging to our own species," said UCL's Matthew Pope.

"It's exciting to think that there's a real possibility these were left by some of the last Neanderthal hunting groups to occupy northern Europe," he added. "The impression they give is of a population in complete command of both landscape and natural raw materials with a flourishing technology -- not a people on the edge of extinction."

Pope is leading the recent excavations after Roger Jacobi of the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain Project first linked the tools to others discovered in northern Europe, which dated to between 35,000 and 42,000 years ago. The Beedings collection, however, is more diverse and extensive than any others from the region.

Pope said many of the Beedings tools and weapons "were made with long, straight blades --blades which were turned into a variety of bone and hide processing implements, as well as lethal spear points" that could kill unsuspecting prey in an instant.

Beedings is now the hilltop setting of a retirement estate built for London physician John Harley in 1900. It was during the estate's construction that Harley first recorded the 2,300 tools and weapons, which he described as being "as sharp as when the broken fragments fell from the maker's hands."

"Clearly Neanderthal hunters were drawn to the hill over a long period of time, presumably for excellent views of the game herds grazing on the plains below the ridge," Pope explained.

The artifacts were excavated within a distinctive fissure system that has been identified in other places around southeast England. It's likely, especially given the similarity of the Beedings tools to others from the time period, that similar Neanderthal strongholds once dotted Britain's landscape.

Other studies suggest Neanderthals once flourished between Devon, England, in the west to Nietoperzowa Cave, Poland, in the east. The precise reasons for their extinction remain a mystery.

"This study offers a rare chance to answer some crucial questions about just how technologically advanced Neanderthals were and how they compare with our own species," said Barney Sloane, head of Historic Environment Commissions at English Heritage.

Archaeologist Mike Pitts, the publisher of British Archeology, echoed the sentiment.

Pitts told Discovery News that just "a generation ago, people thought the Paleolithic in Britain was little more than a lot of un-stratified flint hand axes and a few rare fossils, and now we are increasingly finding really well preserved in situ material."

"It was always there, but no one had the confidence to seek it out," Pitts added.

---

Related Links:

Jennifer Viegas' blog: Born Animal

Happy day!

to you! Today!

In Finland kids are on their summer holiday, and have all kinds of summer activities. Our youngest goes to theater course this week.

She is a dibetic so when she starts off she has a back bag with her meals in, and a handbag with her blood glucose meter, emergency drink, and insulin, in order to be prepared to all conditions, and her cell phone in which she has set reminders for snacks, meals and scheduled blood glucose measurings. She also wears a diabetes bracelet.

She went off today when her father came back from home to drive her; she was so sunny and happy and joyful about everything: that she would be in the course even today; that she had managed packing in everything she needed; that mother (me!) was going to have free today and be at home when she would come back; that it would be her candy-half-day (an invention of her wonderful godfather who got the idea of splitting one candy day into two halves when goddaughter protested about not having enough candy days when they were reduced from two to one - marvellous!) - and that her blood sugar had been on normal level for quite some time already - actually, I think, longer than ever before!

So she went off and looked so wonderfully happy, waved and said, "It is going to be a good day!" - closed the door with the back bag on her back and the handbag hanging from her shoulder, looked in from the window which was so high up that only her shiny eyes and curly hair could be seen, and said through the glass, "Bye-bye mother, have a nice day!"

My heart has been filled with joy ever since, and I feel overwhelmingly happy and privileged to have such a wonderful daughter and to be able to live such a wonderful life - life that makes me happy and willing to make others happy too. I could not just sit back, I had to share this with you - and I hope you can feel even part of the happiness that I do feel.

It has been rainy from yesterday; now it seems that some rays of the sun are coming through the clouds - like to accompany the overall good feeling. So, and good feeling and happiness to you all!
to all !

--