Updated 30th August 1998; 19th February 1999; 28th October, 15th November 2001; 27th November 2003; 27th October 2007; 23rd December 2008; 3rd December 2016; 8th January 2020

The entrance lies at the top west side of the large slip feature to the east of Cueva de Coberruyo (138). A 3m rope climb drops into a 5m diameter chamber.

The cave has been excavated and is described as a late Bronze Age burial cave: bones have been found from at least 5 individuals (1 adult and 4 children) and some of these were deliberately fractured. A human bone has been dated to 870BC and wood to >41760 years - the limit of carbon dating. Remains below the modern surface include sheep, goat, wild boar, red deer, hen, snail shells, nuts, mussel shells and dog oyster. Only one piece of pottery was found and no grave goods.
Ruiz Cobo Jesús and Smith Peter et al, 2001: The Archaeology of the Matienzo Depression, North Spain and Castaños Pedro, 2001b: Estudio de la fauna de la Sima del Diente detail the excavations, results and conclusions.
A useful summary is to be found in Ruiz Cobo Jesús and Smith Peter, 2003, pages 57-63, with a survey, photos and diagrams. Other photos and tables are scattered through the publication.
Reference Smith P et al, 2015 has a table of radio-carbon dates.

Reference: pers comm., (P Smith); anon., 1998d (logbook); Corrin Juan, 1999; Smith Peter and Ruiz Cobo Jesús, 1999; Ruiz Cobo Jesús and Smith Peter et al, 2001 (includes survey and line drawings); Castaños Pedro, 2001b; Ruiz Cobo Jesús and Smith Peter, 2003; Corrin Juan and Smith Peter, 2007; Ruiz Cobo Jesús et al, 2008 (survey); Smith P et al, 2015; Smith Peter et al, 2016
Entrance picture : yes
Underground picture(s): looking down into entrance chamber
Detailed Survey : plan and cross section (amended from Ruiz Cobo Jesús and Smith Peter et al, 2001)
large survey file with archaeological grid and contours (from Ruiz Cobo Jesús et al, 2008)
Line Survey :
On area survey :
Survex file :