Kozarnika Cave

Overview

Kozarnika Cave is located in the area of ​​Belogradchik. It is a small cave - its length is about 200 m, but it is one of the most important prehistoric sites in Bulgaria and Europe. It has been studied without interruption since 1998 until today by a Bulgarian-French expedition led by the Bulgarian archaeologist Nikolay Sirakov and the Frenchman Jean-Luc Guadeli. The finds in Kozarnika are the earliest traces of human presence in Europe and show that the settlement of the European continent probably began in the Balkans. Archaeological excavations in Kozarnika began in the late 1990s. Even the first excavations revealed that the finds were sensational - traces of human presence from 1-1.4 million years ago were found. The inhabitants of the cave made primitive tools from flint and bone. Along with numerous flint tools, archaeologists have found many bones of wild horses, rhinos, mammoths that primitive people hunted to make a living, as well as saber-toothed tigers, cave bears, archaic species of hyenas, panthers that happen to kill. to protect themselves. Until then, no data had been found for some of these animals that they inhabited the Bulgarian lands, as well as the entire territory of Southeast Europe. The Kozarnika finds are the earliest traces of human presence in Europe and so far show that it is very likely that the settlement of the European continent began in the Balkans (migrating from Africa through Asia Minor).