Cova Foradà (or Cova Foradada) is an archaeological site consisting of a cave with remains of

Neanderthal Neanderthals ( ; ''Homo neanderthalensis'' or sometimes ''H. sapiens neanderthalensis'') are an extinction, extinct group of archaic humans who inhabited Europe and Western and Central Asia during the Middle Pleistocene, Middle to Late Plei ...

s near

Oliva Oliva (, ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Comarques of the Valencian Community, ''comarca'' of Safor in the Valencia (autonomous community), Valencian Community, Spain. To its east lie of coastline and beaches fronting t ...

, in the

Province of Valencia Valencia ( , ), officially València (), is a provinces of Spain, province of Spain, in the central part of the autonomous Valencian Community. Of the province's 2.7 million people (2024), almost one-third live in the capital, Valencia, whic ...

, Spain. The most complete skeleton of a Neanderthal ever found on the Iberian peninsula was found there in 2010. One of the Neanderthals whose remains were found in the cave used a toothpick to alleviate pain in his teeth caused by

periodontal disease Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, is a set of inflammatory conditions affecting the tissues surrounding the teeth. In its early stage, called gingivitis, the gums become swollen and red and may bleed. It is considered the main c ...

and dental wear.

Location and description

The karst cave is located southeast of the village of

, at from the coast of the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

, and archaeological excavations have taken place since 1977. The cave is found in a low hill, one of a group of hills called the Muntanyetes de Oliva, the last part of the Serra de Mustalla before the floodplain that ends at the coast. It has been occupied since 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 P ...

, including in the

Mousterian The Mousterian (or Mode III) is an Industry (archaeology), archaeological industry of Lithic technology, stone tools, associated primarily with the Neanderthals in Europe, and with the earliest anatomically modern humans in North Africa and We ...

and

Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Ancient Greek language, Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic i ...

periods, and in the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. Its environment was rich and varied, with mountains on one side and lagoons on the other.

Archaeological finds

maxilla In vertebrates, the maxilla (: maxillae ) is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. The two maxil ...

(almost complete, with a number of teeth), a molar, a

fibula The fibula (: fibulae or fibulas) or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. ...

, and four fragments of a cranium belonging to two humans were found between 2000 and 2003, in what appeared to be a layer from the Mousterian. All fragments except for the molar were from an adult, who died at between 35 and 45 years old; the molar was from a child of around 2.5 years old. The

showed periodontal disease and heavy dental wear, which must have caused considerable pain; there was a significant gap (8.05 mm for the canine) between the teeth and the alveolar bone. The person attempted to alleviate the discomfort with a toothpick, as evidenced by two grooves on the distal surface of two of the remaining teeth: "the habit of using a tool to pick the teeth may be considered early evidence of medical treatment to alleviate sore gums". In 2010, in further excavations on the same spot where the maxilla was found, an almost complete skeleton of a Neanderthal was found, the most complete skeleton (with the bones still attached to the spine) ever found on the Iberian peninsula. In 2019, it was reported that archeologists found a necklace featuring eagle claws, which suggests symbolic purposes.Eagle Talon Jewelry Suggests Neanderthals Were Capable of Human-Like Thought.
Megan Gannon, ''Smithsonian Magazine''. 1 November 2019.

Research

Excavations have been led by José Aparicio Pérez, for the archaeological department of the Provincial Government of Valencia.

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

"Cova Forada de Oliva, Territorio Neandertal"
{{Neanderthal sites in the Valencian Community, Spain Neanderthal sites Prehistoric sites in Spain Province of Valencia Rock shelters Mousterian