Burned stone, child's bones, and lost jewelry hint at prehistoric mining camp high in the Pyrenees

In the past, scientists thought that prehistoric peoples only traveled briefly through high-altitude mountain areas, rather than staying to take advantage of their resources. But new evidence suggests that, starting about 5,500 years ago, a prehistoric community repeatedly climbed up to Cave 338, 2,235 meters above sea level in the Pyrenees, to collect and process malachite for copper—returning many times over thousands of years. Additional finds, including jewelry, suggest that much more remains to be found when excavations reopen this summer.



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