Prehistoric drawings now open to public

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- More than 30 prehistoric cave drawings and etchings inside Dunbar Cave are now on public display more than a year after their initial discovery.

There are 53 caves with documented prehistoric finds, but most are on private property and unavailable for public viewing, Jan Simek, professor of anthropology at the University of Tennessee, who has analyzed the Dunbar Cave findings, told The Leaf-Chronicle newspaper.

"This is in a cave already owned by the state. This is the first one that we can show to the public," he said. "It's a great thing. It will have economic impact, this will bring tourists to Clarksville."

The drawings and etchings -- which were discovered in January 2005 -- are from the Mississippian Era, which spanned 700 to 1300 A.D. in North America, Simek said.