Elbolton Cave: New Chronological Insights

For the first project in its Dates in Drawers programme, the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society collaborated with the Craven Museum to obtain a radiocarbon date for one of the three crouched burials recovered from Elbolton Cave in the nineteenth century. The Early Neolithic date range that was obtained finds corroboration in the conclusions drawn from ongoing aDNA work on human remains from the cave, whilst a review of the pottery assemblage has found no unequivocal Early Neolithic material that might be associated with the burials. Although the archive from this excavation was lost long ago, the recent and ongoing research demonstrates that the finds from the cave are still able to make a significant contribution to the wider understanding of the chronology of prehistoric cave use in the Yorkshire Dales.

Automated summary

In collaboration with the Craven Museum, the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society conducted a project to obtain a radiocarbon date for one of the crouched burials found in Elbolton Cave. The obtained Early Neolithic date range is supported by ongoing aDNA work on human remains from the cave, although no definitive Early Neolithic material associated with the burials was found in the pottery assemblage. Despite the loss of the excavation archives, recent and ongoing research highlights the significant contribution of the cave finds to understanding the chronology of prehistoric cave use in the Yorkshire Dales.