Gough's Cave and biomolecular archaeology: a story of evolving interpretation

Abstract

Gough's Cave is a key archaeological site that has been at heart of British archaeology for the past century. Professor Chris Stringer, whom this special issue honours, has been a key figure in excavations and research projects at the site for many decades. Here, I detail how the ever‐increasing weight of biomolecular data generation over the past 50 years, which includes radiocarbon dating, dietary isotope, and ancient DNA analysis, has resulted in an ever‐evolving interpretation of the two oldest and most archaeologically significant assemblages at the site: the Mesolithic skeleton of Cheddar Man (between 10,600 and 9,900 years ago), and the large post‐glacial deposit attributed to the Magdalenian culture (between 15,100 and 14,300 years ago).