Description
A rectangular silver pendant hung on a silver snake chain and inspired by the prehistoric carving on The Gower Peninsula. Available with a polished or oxidised finish.
The small inscribed deer was found by my colleague Dr George Nash in 2010 during a visit to Cathole Cave, and I was lucky enough to work with him recording this and surveying for other carvings. He instantly recognised it but needed to seek verification as is always the case with any new discovery. The deer has a stal flow (like stalagmite) running over the muzzle which we were able to have analysed and so gain a date for the stal of 14500 BP, therefore the carving is earlier as it sits behind the stal and making it the oldest rock art in Northern Europe. Stylistically we would date this to around 19000 years ago, around the time of the last glacial ice age, during which a narrow ice free corridor ran through this area.
Realising what an important find this was we requested the powers that be to keep this a secret until it could be properly protected. Unfortunately the location of the site was leaked to the press and someone managed to locate the little deer (not an easy task even when you know where it is!) and partly destroy it. The site has since been gated.
I feel very privileged to be amongst the few who got to see this little chap in his full glory in the last few thousand years as he really is something special and very unusual within the UK.
