Čertova pec
{{Short description|Cave and archaeological site in Slovakia}}
{{Infobox ancient site
| name = Čertova pec
| native_name = Čertova pec
| alternate_name =Devil's furnace
| image =Čertova pec (2004).jpg
| image_size =240
| alt = Čertova pec cave interior
| caption = Čertova pec cave interior
| map_type = Slovakia
| map_alt = Čertova pec in Slovakia
| map_caption = location in Slovakia
| map_size = 240 px
| relief = yes
| coordinates = {{coord|48|33|37|N|17|54|55|E|display=inline,title}}
| location = near Radošina, Považský Inovec mountains
| region = Nitra Region, Slovakia
| type =
| part_of =
| length =
| width =
| area =
| height =
| depth =
| builder =
| material =
| built =
| abandoned =
| epochs = Palaeolithic
| cultures =
| dependency_of =
| occupants =
| event =
| excavations =
| archaeologists =
| condition =
| ownership =
| management =
| public_access =
| website =
| notes =
}}
Čertova pec ({{langx|en|Devil's furnace}}) is a small karst cave in the Považský Inovec mountains of Slovakia. It is located near Radošina, in the Nitra Region. As well as being a modern recreational site, the cave is known to have yielded material evidence of repeated human presence and habitation during the Stone Age.
Overview
The cave with total length of {{convert|27|m|ft|abbr=on}},{{Cite book|last=Pšenková|first=Vlasta|title=Pozoruhodnosti Slovenska|year=1994|page=18|publisher=Kubko-Goral}} is a protected natural monument due to its paleontological significance. The surrounding area of Certova pec is also a recreational site which includes a motel, a campsite, and a playground. There are three hiking trails in the vicinity.{{Cite book|last=Mallows|first=Lucy|title=Slovakia| year=2007|page=139|isbn=978-1841621883}}
Paleontology
The site has yielded relics of multiple habitation phases during the Palaeolithic period. The earliest finds are attributed to the Mousterian culture (associated primarily with Neanderthals).{{Cite book|last1=Strhan|first1=Milan |last2=Daniel|first2=David P.|title=Slovakia and the Slovaks: A Concise Encyclopedia|year=1994|page=492|publisher=Encyclopedical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences}} In addition to this is an assemblage of objects tentatively associated with the Szeletian culture, a local designation that roughly corresponds with the contemporary Gravettian culture.{{Cite book|last=Adams|first=B.|editor1-last=Camps|editor1-first=Marta |editor2-last=Chauhan|editor2-first=Parth |title=Sourcebook of Paleolithic Transitions: Methods, Theories, and Interpretations |publisher=Springer |date=2009|page=432 |chapter=Bukk Mountain Szeletian |isbn=978-0387764870}} A radiocarbon date of Szeletian cultural artifacts suggests prehistoric human presence in the cave at around 38,400 years ago.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Čertova pec}}
- [http://www.klastertopolcany.sk/devil-s-furnace-cave Devil's Furnace Cave], Topoľčany Cluster project
{{Navbox prehistoric caves}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Certova pec}}
Category:Archaeological sites in Slovakia