Devil’s Lair

Devil’s Lair, cave in southwestern Western Australia, Australia, that is considered to be among the most important archaeological sites in the country. It is located about 3 miles (5 km) from the ocean and about 12 miles (20 km) north of Cape Leeuwin.

A single-chamber cave with a floor of about 2,150 square feet (200 square metres), Devil’s Lair was formed in the dune limestone of Leeuwin–Naturaliste Ridge during the the Quaternary Period (about 2.6 million years ago to the present). The cave’s floor, composed of dozens of distinct layers, is an amalgam of thin, lightly cemented sandy strata, flowstone, limestone fragments, and stalagmitic masses. Since the 1970s, excavation in the cave has revealed a bounty of artifacts, including bone points and bone beads, and animal and plant remains. It is generally held that the oldest of these findings date from more than 40,000 years ago. The cave takes its name from the discovery there of a large number of bones of one particular animal, the Tasmanian devil.

Among the artifacts found in the cave are three ground bone beads and a pendantlike perforated stone object that are thought to indicate early signs of the use of ornaments or decorative items by humans. The evidence at the site helped researchers build a better understanding of how the biodiversity of the area changed over time and an awareness of the foods that were hunted and gathered. The artifacts also provide an important spiritual and cultural link to the ancestors of the Noongar people, who are the traditional custodians of the region.