| Ras El Kelb | |
| Map Type: | Lebanon |
| Map Alt: | Ras El Kelb |
| Map Size: | 240 |
| Relief: | yes |
| Location: | 80NaN0 from Beirut, Lebanon |
| Coordinates: | 33.9186°N 35.5861°W |
| Part Of: | Settlement |
| Material: | Limestone |
| Built: | c. 50,000 BC |
| Epochs: | Paleolithic |
| Cultures: | Mousterian |
| Excavations: | 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 (5m (16feet)) coast of Lebanon, 8km (05miles) north of Beirut. It is one of the oldest habitations found in the country.[1]
Rescue excavations were carried out in 1959 by Dorothy Garrod and G. Henri-Martin.[2] 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.[3] It was concluded that the sea had passed the level of the cave 3 times since its first dated habitation around 50,000 years BCE (52,000 years BP).[4]
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.[5]