Tham Lod rockshelter

Tham Lod Rockshelter
Tham Lod Rockshelter
Location in Thailand
LocationNorthern Thailand
Coordinates19°34′18.9″N 98°16′37.9″E / 19.571917°N 98.277194°E / 19.571917; 98.277194
History
Periods35,000 BCE to 9,800 BCE
Site notes
Excavation dates2001
ArchaeologistsRasmi Shoocongdej

Tham Lod Rockshelter (Thai: เพิงผาถ้ำลอด) is a 30 metre deep cave near the Nam Lang stream in northern Thailand, which was occupied by the Hoabinhian culture from the late Pleistocene to the late Holocene period. Archaeological remains of hearths, a workshop for the production of stone tools, and a set of burials have been found.[1][2] The site has provided information on human activities in the area, including burials,[1] living habits,[3] gathering,[4] and tool making,[5] and social interactions.[1] It is located 10 km northeast of the Ban Rai rockshelter.[6]

The site has been protected by the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation since 2001 and was originally excavated by Rasmi Shoocongdej from Silpakorn University in 2002 with funding from the Thai Research Fund and in 2006 with funds from the US Ambassador Fund for Cultural Preservation.[1][7][5]

Human occupation

Human occupation in Tham Lod is attested from 40,000 BP to 10,000 BP (Late Pleistocene, Early Holocene, and Late Holocene).[8] The population was highest during the Holocene period, when biomass was greater because of the wet climate.[8] Migrants from China may have contributed to this population increase.[9] Pollen analysis suggests that humans impacted the local environment, especially the vegetation, for instance by using ferns for medicinal reasons.[4] Deforestation in the area may also have be caused by humans.

Hunting and tool making

The structure of Tham Lod indicates an ambush hunting strategy by humans that once occupied the area.[3] Ben Marwick's study of Tham Lod found at least 1722 stone artifacts.[10] The number of finds indicates that the site served as a tool workshop.[5] Materials used to make tools at the site included sandstone, quartzite, mudstone, andesite, siltstone, and slate; these tools included chopper-chopping tools, scrapers, sumatraliths (a typical artefact of the Hoabinhian), short-axes, disks, and flakes.[5] Variations in these stone artifacts may indicate that some of them were acquired through trade.[1]

Burials

The Tham Lod rockshelter contained four human burials.[2][5] Two bodies were buried one above the other. The upper skeleton, of indeterminate sex, was found in an extended position 46 cm (18.1 in) below ground and dated to 12,100 +/- 60 years BP. It was buried with shellfish and land snails. The lower skeleton, a female, was found in a flexed position. It was about 152 cm (59.8 in) tall and dated to 13,640 +/- 80 years BP. She was buried with plants and flakes.[5][2] Both of these skeletons had a hammer stone placed on top of them.

The other two skeletons were heavily disturbed, so that it is uncertain in what posture they were originally interred. One was a 9-13-year-old child and the other was a young man.[6]

Paleoenvironment

A study in 2006 conducted by Suwongpong Wattanapituksakul of Chulongcorn University found that animal life in the area remained the same between 35,000 and 10,000 BP.[11] Suwongpong analyzed data from mammal teeth found in Tham Lod and identified 2003 specimens, which were then classified into 31 taxa. These animals included: Rhinocerotidae, Rhizomyidae, Rhizomys spp., Cannomys badius, Bandicota spp., and Bandicota indica. The presence of rhinocerotidae indicates that the environment was a dense forest up to 10,000 BP.[11] δ18O data collected by Ben Marwick and Michael K. Gagan showed that from 35,000 to 20,000 BP the climate was wet and varied, then from 20,000 to 11,500 BP, it was dry; after 11,500 BP, the climate did not show variation but became more wet.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Shoocongdej, R. (2006). Late Pleistocene Activities at the Tham Lod Rockshelter in Highland Pang Mapha, Mae Hong Son Province, Northwestern Thailand. Uncovering Southeast Asia's past: Selected Papers from the 10th International Conference of the European Association of Southeast Asian Archaeologists. Singapore: NUS Press, pages 22-24.
  2. ^ a b c Pureepatpong N. (2006) Recent Investigation of Early People (Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene) from Ban Rai and Tham Lod Rockshelter Sites, Pang Mapha District, Mae Hong Son Province, Northwestern Thailand. Uncovering Southeast Asia's past: Selected Papers from the 10th International Conference of the European Association of Southeast Asian Archaeologists. Singapore: NUS Press, pages 38-40.
  3. ^ a b Dennell, R., Porr, M., Piper, P., & Rabett, R. (2014). Late Pleistocene Subsistence Strategies in Southeast Asia and Their Implications for Understanding the Development of Modern Human Behavior. Southern Asia, Australia, and the search for human origins. New York: Cambridge University Press, page 127.
  4. ^ a b Trikanchanawattana C. (2005) Palynological Study at Ban Tham Lod and Ban Rai in Pang Mapha District, Mae Hong Son Province, Northern Thailand. Bangkok: Mahidol University. Retrieved from http://www.li.mahidol.ac.th/e-thesis/4536405.pdf
  5. ^ a b c d e f Shoocongdej R. (2008). Archaeological Heritage Management at Ban Rai and Tham Lod Rockshelters in Pang Mapha District, Mae Hong Son Province, Northwestern Thailand. Mae Hong Son Province:Silpakorn University. Retrieved from http://www.rasmishoocongdej.com/wp-content/uploads/01.pdf Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ a b Higham & Thosarat 2012, p. 40.
  7. ^ Sattha, C. (2008). @Thailand: Preserving The Past. Bangkok Post. Retrieved from ftp://202.60.207.28/BP/2008/03_BP_Mar/01032008/BK010308012.pdf
  8. ^ a b Marwick, Ben (2013). "Multiple Optima in Hoabinhian flaked stone artefact palaeoeconomics and palaeoecology at two archaeological sites in Northwest Thailand". Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. 32 (4): 553–564. doi:10.1016/j.jaa.2013.08.004. ISSN 0278-4165.
  9. ^ a b Marwick, Ben; Gagan, Michael K. (2011). "Late Pleistocene monsoon variability in northwest Thailand: an oxygen isotope sequence from the bivalve Margaritanopsis laosensis excavated in Mae Hong Son province". Quaternary Science Reviews. 30 (21–22): 3088. Bibcode:2011QSRv...30.3088M. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2011.07.007. ISSN 0277-3791. S2CID 15182044.
  10. ^ Marwick, B. (2008). Stone artefacts and human ecology at two rockshelters in Northwest Thailand. PhD Thesis. Canberra, The Australian National University. doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.765252
  11. ^ a b Wattanapituksakul, Suwangpong 2006. Late pleistocene mammal teeth from the Tham Lod rockshelter, Amphoe Pang Mapha, Changwat Mae Hong Son. MSc Thesis, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. Retrieved from http://cuir.car.chula.ac.th/handle/123456789/13643 Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading

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