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Porc-Epic Cave is an archaeological site located in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. Dated back to the Middle Stone Age, the site contains extensive evidence of microlithic tools, bone and faunal remains. The lithic assemblage reveals that inhabitants at the time were well-organized with their environment. Pointed tools indicate that the cave served as a hunting camp during seasons that game was plentiful. There is also strong evidence of ochre processing and rock art. The site was first discovered in 1920 by H. De Monfreid and P. Teilhard De Chardin. H. Breuil and P. Wernert performed the first excavation in 1933, followed from 1975 to 1976 by J. Desmond Clark and K.D. Williamson. Succeeding this was an excavation in 1998. Porc-Epic Cave provides insight into the behavior and technical capability of modern humans in East Africa during the Middle Stone Age.

Excavations 1933-1998
H. Breuil and P. Wernet undertook the first excavation in 1933 and largely focused on the entrance of the cave. Throughout this excavation, there was an abundance of obsidian and basalt artifacts. A human jaw fragment was also uncovered and described as having both neanderthal and non-neanderthal features. Throughout 1975 to 1976 most of the cave was excavated by J. Desmond Clark and K.D. Williamson. A collection of stone tools were recovered and accounted for over 90% of the total material extracted from the cave. Thousands of faunal artifacts were successfully excavated as well. In 1998, a collaborative project took place between the French MNHN and Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH) of Ethiopia concerning fieldwork on the site.

Rock Art
Ochre processing is the grinding and flaking of ochre that results in fine-grain and powder. The brownish-yellow or red pigment that was produced is often used in prehistoric artwork. Rock art has been identified on the cave walls and studies reveal that the art is "older than the formation of the most recent stalagmite of the archaeological levels.”