
The excavations at the Wolf Cave (Susiluola, Varggrottan)
site started again on July 21, 2004 after a two-year break.
Complete excavations are now planned for a three-year period.
For the first time, researchers will study the area immediately
outside the cavern in hopes of finding ancient traces - burned
bones, for instance - after removing the thick surface soil,
stumps and boulders. Inside the cavern the emphasis will be
placed on the oldest sediment layers - i.e., those which by
reliable methods have already been consistently dated to be
circa 128,000 years old - for renewed pollen and macrofossil
analysis.
August
26, 2004 - The
main finding of this summer's excavations was the discovery
of a new layer which is thought to be older than the seven
already investigated layers,
of which the oldest one has been estimated to be 240,000 years.
The researchers will now try to determine the age of the new
layer.
July
7, 2005 - New finds of this summer's excavations were sharp-edged
flakes in contrast to the earlier more round ones of quartz
and sandstone and a burned bone in a dent close to the entrance
on the western side of the cave. The new flakes preliminary
dated to 35 000 yrs might indicate presence of inhabitants
circa 27 000 - 60 000 BP and before the last glaciation period
25 000 - 15 000, that is much later than the older finds and
research results pointing to the time period 115 000 - 130
000 yrs BP and taken together implying that the cave has been
inhabited during two separate interglacial periods, geologists
told.