Čertova pec
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Čertova pec cave interior
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  location in Slovakia | |
| Alternative name | Devil's furnace |
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| Location | near Radošina, Považský Inovec mountains |
| Region | Nitra Region, Slovakia |
| Coordinates | 48°33′37″N 17°54′55″E / 48.56028°N 17.91528°E / 48.56028; 17.91528 |
| History | |
| Periods | Palaeolithic |
Čertova pec (English: Devil's furnace) is a small karst cave in the Považský Inovec mountains of Slovakia. It is located near Radošina, in the Nitra Region. As well as being a modern recreational site, the cave is known to have yielded material evidence of repeated human presence and habitation during the Stone Age.
The cave with total length of 27 m (89 ft),[1] is a protected natural monument due to its paleontological significance.[1] The surrounding area of Certova pec is also a recreational site which includes a motel, a campsite, and a playground.[1] There are three hiking trails in the vicinity.[2]
The site has yielded relics of multiple habitation phases during the Palaeolithic period.[1] The earliest finds are attributed to the Mousterian culture (associated primarily with Neanderthals).[3] In addition to this is an assemblage of objects tentatively associated with the Szeletian culture, a local designation that roughly corresponds with the contemporary Gravettian culture.[4]Aradiocarbon date of Szeletian cultural artifacts suggests prehistoric human presence in the cave at around 38,400 years ago.[4]
