The cave in Iraq

Mohammad Rajja, Nepal Student Society, Dhaka
Ancient human beings used to live in caves. They had no knowledge and essential instruments to construct houses. But hilly caves, for them, were just like houses, which saved them from hot, cold, rain and wild animals. One hundred thousand years ago the human beings were a bit different! Some years ago a group of scientists found a cave in the mountains of Iraq which had a history of human habitation from the rock age to the present. This is called "Shanidar Gufa". In this cave Kurd farmers live nowadays. It is a great discovery that human beings have been living here for one hundred thousand years! Scientists were fortunate that the people who lived there were not fond of neat and clean living. They used to engrave their waste things in the caves. These things have been engraved one after another in piles. Therefore the scientists have dug the floor of the cave and become successful in finding out the history of human civilization. The outermost layer tells about the present age from seven thousands years back. Pieces of soil utensils, stones, grinder of grains, bones of tamed animals show that the people of that time knew about cultivation and taming animals. The second layer is supposed to be twelve thousand years old. This layer doesn't give any evidence of cultivation and taming animals. The third layer is supposed to be forty thousands years old. There was a difference of thirty thousand years between these two layers. There was a trace of progress in human civilization at that time. At last the fourth layer of Shanidar Cave takes us one hundred thousand years back. It gives a glimpse of primary age of human race in ancient times on the basis of these evidences. There are some drawings of human beings found in the caves which are supposed to be twenty-five thousands years old. Who made these figures? How did light come in the dark caves? These mysteries are still unresolved. But probably it can be said that these carvings were done by some unknown artists of the Stone Age.