Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Ras El Kelb

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Part of
  
Settlement

Founded
  
c. 50,000 BC

Cultures
  
Mousterian

Excavation date
  
1959

Material
  
Limestone

Periods
  
Paleolithic

Archaeologist
  
Dorothy Garrod

Period
  
Paleolithic

Ras El Kelb

Location
  
8 km (5 mi) from Beirut, Lebanon

Ras El Kelb is a truncated seaside cave and Paleolithic settlement located on the low-lying (5 m (16 ft)) coast of Lebanon, 8 km (5.0 mi) north of Beirut. It is one of the oldest habitations found in the country.

Rescue excavations were carried out in 1959 by Dorothy Garrod and G. Henri-Martin. They dug 2 trenches named the 'Rail' and 'Tunnel' trenches, from which they recovered over 30,000 flint artefacts of a wide variety for statistical analysis from 22 geological layers. It was concluded that the sea had passed the level of the cave 3 times since its first dated habitation around 50,000 years BCE (52,000 years BP).

They also discovered a tooth suggested to belong to a Neanderthal. It was suggested that the inhabitants were expert at hunting gazelle using the flints recovered.

References

Ras El Kelb Wikipedia