Archaeologists search for Neanderthals in Slovak caves
Slovakia is home to a large number of caves that prehistoric humans frequently used in the past. This was particularly true in the earliest periods, before the arrival of modern humans, when Neanderthals still inhabited the territory of present-day Slovakia. In 2025, as part of several projects of the Institute of Archaeology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), the second season of multidisciplinary research was carried out in the Veľká Ružínska Cave. It aimed to expand the area investigated during the first season and subsequently to verify the presence of settlement from the Early Stone Age.
In addition, the research focused on the collection and evaluation of proxy data to reconstruct the natural environment and the evolution of the climate.
The 2025 research confirmed extensive Late Stone Age activity dating back approximately 6.1 thousand years. The oldest finds, consisting of fragments of two stone artefacts, were recovered from a layer just above the bedrock. According to preliminary results of AMS and OSL dating, they may be between 43,000 and 77,000 years old and are likely associated with Neanderthals.
In cooperation with the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, archaeologists collected sediment samples to assess the preservation of so-called ancient DNA, primarily focusing on the presence of hominins, as well as flora, fauna, and microorganisms, to address questions related to the evolution and dispersal of our early ancestors.
The research involves the Institute of Archaeology of the SAS; the Geological Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences; the Department of Archaeology of the FF UKF in Nitra; the Max Planck Institute; the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University; the Slovak Museum of Nature Conservation and Speleology; the State Geological Institute of Dionýz Štúr; and the Earth Science Institute of the SAS.
Contact: Adrián Nemergut, adrian.nemergut@savba.sk, www.intercave.sav.sk
Source: Institute of Archaeology of the SAS
Photo: Adrián Nemergut, Institute of Archaeology of the SAS