Furninha, also known as Dominique's cave, is a natural cave on the southern slope of the Peniche peninsula in Portugal. The cave is situated on the cliffs between the Peniche Fortress and the Cape Carvoeiro. The cave is located furthest west of any Neanderthal site. Neanderthals became extinct over 40,000 years ago. The cave was also inhabited by modern humans during the Neolithic. Range of Homo neanderthalensis

History

Furninha was explored by

Nery Delgado Nery may refer to: People * Adalgisa Nery (1905–1980), Brazilian poet, journalist and politician * Alex Felipe Nery (born 1975), Brazilian football player * Carl Nery (1917–2007), American American football player * Constância Nery (born 1936 ...

at the end of the 19th century. Delgado demonstrated the caves' history of habitation by Neanderthals. Delgado's excavation revealed the existence of animal occupation during the

Lower Paleolithic The Lower Paleolithic (or Lower Palaeolithic) is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. It spans the time from around 3 million years ago when the first evidence for stone tool production and use by hominins appears in ...

, Neanderthal presence during the

Middle Paleolithic The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle Paleoli ...

, and the presence of Homo sapiens at the end of Chalcolithic. Delgado also reports the practice of anthropophagy by the Neanderthals of Furninha who, despite the proximity of the sea, were mainly hunters. The collection of remains gathered by Delgado was deposited in a Lisbon museum. Observation of a number of photographs from Furninha reveals the existence of a thin film of flora. This flora is believed to be in close relation with fungi, and displays intense colors of green, yellow and red zones. The walls of the cave are covered with nutrients generated by the mixing of rain waters dropping through the vent of the vault with droplets of seawater entering the cave.

In popular culture

*As a record of

collective memory Collective memory refers to the shared pool of memories, knowledge and information of a social group that is significantly associated with the group's identity. The English phrase "collective memory" and the equivalent French phrase "la mémoire c ...

, the cave is known as the ''Cave of Dominique''. Dominique was supposedly the name of an elusive robber who took refuge in Furninha. *The Furninha cave is associated with the "Legend of a love in Peniche".(''pt'')
Lenda dos Passos de Dona Leonor
'' (The Legend of Dona Leonor's steps)

References

External links

* J. E. Nery Delgado, La grotte de Furninha à Peniche a
Archive.org

a
PhotoArch

at
Pinturas em Peniche

Human Origin Sites and the World Heritage Convention in Eurasia
– published in 2015 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Pleistocene Birds of Gruta da Furninha (Peniche-Portugal) : A Paleontological and Paleoenvironmental Aproach [sic]
paper a
Research Gate
{{Authority control 19th-century archaeological discoveries Caves of Portugal Legends Neolithic Paleolithic Neanderthal sites