Ras El Kelb
| Location | 8 km (5 mi) from Beirut, Lebanon |
|---|---|
| Type | Cave |
| Part of | Settlement |
| History | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Founded | c. 50,000 BC |
| Periods | Paleolithic |
| Cultures | Mousterian |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1959 |
| Archaeologists | Dorothy Garrod, G Henri-Martin, |
| Public access | Yes |
Ras El Kelb is a truncated, seaside cave and Paleolithic settlement located on the low-lying (5 m) coast of Lebanon, 8 kilometres (5 mi) north of Beirut. It is one of the oldest habitations found in the country.
Rescue excavations were carried out in 1959 by Dorothy Garrod and G. Henri-Martin. They dug 2 trenches named the 'Rail' and 'Tunnel' trenches, from which they recovered over 30,000 flint artefacts of a wide variety for statistical analysis from 22 geological layers. It was concluded that the sea had passed the level of the cave 3 times since its first dated inhabitation around 50,000 BC (52,000 B.P.).
They also discovered a tooth suggested to belong to a Neanderthal. It was suggested that the inhabitants were expert at hunting gazelle using the flints recovered.
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