This is due to the scientists having to overcome many obstacles, which they struggled to do with the correct equipment. So, how did humans explore the caves 8,000 years ago?

It was previously thought that these people could only explore around the beginning of the cave and not much further due to a lack of lighting, uneven terrain and lack of specialized equipment. However, a group of scientists recently discovered that they had explored the cave much further than previously thought. 

This is because the cave has deep pits and hazardous paths, making it dangerous for anyone who decides to go in there. Nowadays, the only thing making it easier is the specialized equipment available to those who want to explore.

However, it has since become clear that they traveled much further than a mile inside the cave, much to the amazement of scientists.

The equipment used includes powerful lights, high-tech safety equipment and other special gear that wouldn’t have been available to humans all those years ago. Even with this equipment, the scientists struggled to explore the caves.

Even though the evidence clearly points to prehistoric humans going that far into the cave, scientists can’t figure out how they did it without modern equipment.

Jean-Jacques Delannoy, a geomorphologist who was part of the team exploring the caves, reported that the broken stalagmites prove that prehistoric humans had some knowledge of lighting, could cross shafts and generally explored caves.

This is how the scientists were able to know that humans had explored these caves 8,000 years earlier. Breaking off stalagmites as a trophy was more commonly done in the 19th century, but this proves that people were doing it long before then.

The data told them that the earliest time anyone would have been in those caves was 10,000 years ago, which is much earlier than expected. They also found that the most recent time anyone had broken a stalagmite was 3,000 years ago.

This does give some insight into people’s thought processes at the time. Some further research will be needed to determine why they might have placed these cave pieces in formation.

However, many caves now have walkways and artificial lighting to help them navigate the caves. Tour guides are often on hand at these places to help guide tourists through the caves.

The current theory is that they used either oil lamps or torches. Only time will tell whether soot deposits can confirm this or if this was destined to remain a mystery for the rest of time.