Денисова пещера

Denisova - Denisova Cave - Denis Cave


Useful Information

Location: Baschelakskij Mountains, Black Anuj. 360 km from Barnaul, region Altai. 4 km from the village Tchyorny Anui.
Open: no restrictions [2006]
Fee: free [2006]
Classification: SpeleologyKarst cave
Light: none, bring own
Dimension: A=600 m asl.
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography: A. P. Derevyanko, V. I. Molodin (1994): Denisova Cave, Vol. 1. Nauka, Novosibirsk, 1994, (Russian)
A. K. Agadjanian (): Small Mammal Fauna from Denisova Cave, Paleoecology of the Pleistocene and Culture of the Stone Age of Northern Asia and Adjacent Regions (Inst. Arkheol. Etnogr. Sib. Otd. Ross. Akad. Nauk, Novosibirsk, 1998), pp. 12–14. (Russian)
A. P. Derevyanko, Z. N. Gnibidenko, M. V. Shun'kov (1998): Middle Pleistocene Excursuses of the Geomagnetic Field in the Strata of Denisova Cave, Dokl. Akad. Nauk 360 (4), 511–513 (1998).
A. P. Derevyanko, M. V. Shun'kov, E. M. Malaeva, et al. (1997): On the Stratification of the Pleistocene Beds of the Archeological Section of Denisova Cave, Problems of Archeology, Ethnography, and Anthropology of Siberia and Adjacent Territories, Vol. 3, pp. 80–84. Inst. Arkheol. Etnogr. Sib. Otd. Ross. Akad. Nauk, Novosibirsk, 1997c. (Russian)
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As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
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History

18th century Dionisij lived in the cave.
1970s Palaeolithic occupation discovered by Russian archaeologists.
1980s excavated.

Description

Denisova Cave was named after an hermit, Saint Denis, in Russian called Dionisij, who lived in this cave during the second half of the 18th century. The locals call it Aju-Tasch which means bear rock.

This cave is looking like a chimney, it is not very interesting from the speleological view, but it is the most important archaeological cave of the Altai. 20 different layers with archaeological remains were excavated, the oldest layer being 300,000 years old, the youngst layers from the Middle Ages and from the Saint Dionisij. Radiocarbon dates of the Mousterian levels are between 39,000 and 46,000 years BP.

The best way to visit the cave is a stay at the nearby Denis Cave Camp, which is used by the scientists working at the cave. The guided tour they provide for tourists (after appointment) introduce the participants into the history of the cave and the techniques used by the archaeologists.