The skeletal analysis cannot establish the cause of death. The lesion noted on the skull has been observed by researchers but its significance — whether it represents a wound, a disease process, or post-mortem damage — has not been definitively determined by specialist analysis. It would be inappropriate to construct narratives of violence or illness around this feature without corroborating specialist evidence that goes beyond what available sources describe.
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## The Cave as a Living Space: Evidence of Mesolithic Occupation
What does the archaeological evidence from Gough’s Cave’s Mesolithic occupation layer — as distinct from the much earlier Palaeolithic material — actually tell us about how the site was used during Cheddar Man’s era?
The Mesolithic occupation evidence from Gough’s Cave is less dramatic than the Palaeolithic skull-cups and engraved bones, but it represents real material evidence of how the site was used during the period relevant to Cheddar Man. Flint tools — the small, carefully shaped blades characteristic of Mesolithic technology — have been found in deposits consistent with Mesolithic-era occupation. Animal bones from the Mesolithic layer reflect the diet of the cave’s inhabitants during that period: red deer, aurochs, and other animals typical of the post-glacial British woodland environment.
The presence of hazelnuts in Mesolithic archaeological sites across Britain — including cave sites in the region — is particularly informative. Hazelnuts ripen in autumn and can be stored after drying, making them an important energy-dense food resource that can be accumulated and used through the winter. The systematic harvesting and possibly caching of hazelnuts is considered one of the characteristic features of Mesolithic subsistence in Britain, and sites with hazelnut shells indicate autumn or early winter use at minimum.