ARCHAEOLOGISTS have made a sensational new discovery on the Rock.
The team working in Gorham’s Cave have unearthed a 7,500 year-old axe.
The polished axe, which heralds from the Neolithic period, is 11 cm in length and made of a rare green stone.
Scientists believe the stone is most likely found only in northern Africa, contributing to evidence of close contact between the two continents in the Neolithic Age.
This discovery, found on July 20, is significant because it suggests that people lived on the Rock at the time when agriculture and farming was just moving to the west from the Middle East.
The finding also suggests that travellers may have crossed the Straits of Gibraltar by boat back them.
The discovery is expected to help Gibraltar’s 2015 bid for UNESCO World Heritage Status.