SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Discovery of prehistoric arrowheads, spear points and other artifacts at
Natural Bridge Caverns has drawn Central Texas archaeology students and others to the
commercial cave for extensive excavation.
The first scientific dig at the caverns since they were discovered north of San Antonio in 1960 began
this month, revealing signs of human activity dating back at least 2,000 years.
So far, researchers have found arrowheads dating about 600 years near the surface, with arrow tips
dating 1,300 years a few inches down and a cooking hearth that might have been used by
hunter-gatherers 2,000 years ago about two feet down. Some items await radiocarbon dating, a
process that takes 30 days.
"You can imagine people sitting here, warming themselves and making their tools," said Steve
Tomka, director of the Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
"It's a real focal point for people who are hunter-gatherers."
In June, the family that owns the caverns approached Tomka and is funding the 20-day excavation
by five UTSA researchers and three from the caverns. Artifacts found in the dig, scheduled to run
through Oct. 10, will be analyzed by UTSA graduate students, then returned to the caverns.
"The time was right to pursue a scientific exploration of the culture of the caverns," said Joye
Wuest, the caverns' chief financial officer and a member of the family that owns them.
Family members plan to fill in a hole that researchers will dig at least 8 feet deep near a cavern
entrance that likely once was underground. Researchers plan to start digging just inside the caverns
next week.
