Eshgaftak

Eshgaftak, also spelled Eshkaftak, is the name of a cave located in the Zagros Mountains of southwestern Iran, specifically in the Kermanshah Province. The cave is archaeologically significant for its evidence of Middle Paleolithic human occupation, primarily associated with Neanderthals.

The Eshgaftak cave site has yielded a substantial collection of stone tools characteristic of the Mousterian industry, a tool-making tradition associated with Neanderthals. These tools provide insights into the technological capabilities and subsistence strategies of the Neanderthal populations that inhabited the region tens of thousands of years ago. Archaeological investigations at Eshgaftak have contributed to a broader understanding of Neanderthal distribution and adaptation in the Middle East. The findings, including tool types and faunal remains (animal bones), help researchers reconstruct the environment and lifeways of these hominins. The cave provides important context for understanding the relationship between Neanderthals and their environment in this particular geographic region.