The excavations in the Grotta dell’Eremita are carried out by the University of Geneva’s Laboratory of Prehistoric Archaeology and Anthropology – F-A. Forel Institute – Earth and Environmental Sciences.

This season’s objectives were to complete the excavation of the surface investigated in 2014 and to open new excavations in the south side of the cave and the atrium area. A total surface area of 15 m2 was excavated.

The chronological and stratigraphical observations documented during previous campaigns were confirmed and new evidence recorded regarding the spatial distribution of the finds. The body of finds included numerous pottery fragments (some forms were reconstructable), rare lithic industry (flint), and numerous faunal fragments, some of which burnt.
Six charcoal samples were sent for dating to the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology (ETH) in Zürich. Sediment and pollen samples were also taken and are being studied at the Universities of Geneva and Bern.

The aim was to fully excavate the middle Bronze Age level across the entire surface inside the cavern, but this was not completed. However, the new evidence provided a more complete picture of the types of occupation and a better definition of its geological history.