Judge's Cave facts for kids

Judge's Cave is a cool cave located in Gibraltar, which is a British Overseas Territory. This cave is really special because scientists have found human remains inside it that are from a very long time ago, during the late prehistoric period.

How Judge's Cave Was Found

Judge's Cave was discovered way back in the 1840s. Workers found it while building a big house for James Cochrane. He was the top judge in Gibraltar from 1841 to 1877.

Early Explorers and Discoveries

The cave quickly became important because of the ancient human remains found there. Some famous early visitors included Abbe Henri Breil, George Busk, and a local explorer named William Willoughby Cole Verner.

The human remains found in the cave are from the Neolithic period, also known as the New Stone Age. These remains, which include skulls and thigh bones from two people, are now kept at the British Museum in London.

More Recent Finds

Later, in 1969, a cave enthusiast from Gibraltar named George Palao explored the cave. He dug up various pieces of ancient pottery. These beautiful pottery pieces are now displayed at the Gibraltar Museum.

Another interesting visitor was Captain Gorham, who is famous for discovering and naming Gorham's Cave. He explored Judge's Cave with his team on December 12, 1906. He even left a mark inside the cave to show he had been there!

Cave's Size and Future Discoveries

Judge's Cave has been carefully mapped by experts. It goes down 47 meters (about 154 feet) from the ground level. The cave system stretches for a total length of 250 meters (about 820 feet). Since the cave's entrance is 74 meters (about 243 feet) above sea level, its deepest parts are still 27 meters (about 89 feet) above the sea.

Scientists believe there might be even more large chambers inside Judge's Cave that haven't been found yet. There's also a chance that this cave could connect to other nearby cave systems.