[Article] Cave served as home of early human found.

September, 13 2010 | Viêt Nam News | by Le Huong

TUYEN QUANG -- A cave in Na Hang District in the northern province of Tuyen Quang is thought to have housed primitive humans during the Neolithic Era (7,000-8,000 years ago).
Tuyen Quang Museum's director Quan Van Dung said that experts from the museum and the Viet Nam Archaeology Institute discovered primitive human artefacts in the cave, which is known as Tham Choong Cave to the locals.
The archaeologists discovered more than 1,000 stone objects, including tools for cutting, chopping and grinding. The tools were handmade with stones that had been retrieved from a riverbed.

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[Articles] Founds in Lao Cao cave

June, 17 2010 | VietNamNews
Twelve animal species found in Lao Cai cave

LAO CAI — More than 500 animal fossils have been discovered in a cave in the northwestern province of Lao Cai, according to the Viet Nam Archaeology Institute.
Archaeologists were working for nearly a month at Ma Tuyen Cave, in Muong Khuong District.
The fossils are believed to belong to 12 animal species, including bear, rhino, elephant, porcupine, deer, pig, horse, dog, monkey and mouse, scientifically named Stegodon orientalis Owen, Elephas indicus, Palaeoloxodon naumanni, Ailuropoda mela-noleuca, Rhinoceros, Servus and Sus scrofa.
More than half of the items were discovered by chance by workers from a local construction firm while renovating the cave in 2009.

Chew on this: Fossil teeth of from Palaeoloxodon naumanni, found at the Ma Tuyen Cave in the northwestern province of Lao Cai. — File Photo

[...Read the full article here...] — VNS

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Saturday ,Jun 12,2010 | SGGP english | By Truong Ngoc; Translated by Hai Mien
10,000 year old elephant teeth discovered in Lao Cai

Fossil teeth of straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon naumanni) that became extinct about 10,000 years ago, have been discovered in the northern province of Lao Cai.
That was one of preliminary estimation on fossil items excavated at Ma Tuyen Cave in Muong Khuong District. The estimation was organized by Lao Cai Province Museum, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Hanoi-based Institute of Archaeology on June 11. 

[...Read the full article here...]

[Article] Mesolithic cave discovered in Pagaralam.

Monday, April 26, 2010 | Antara News

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Pagaralam, South Sumatra (ANTARA News) - A Mesolithic cave was discovered by the residents in Talang Kubangan Hamlet, South Dempo sub-district, North Sumatra.
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The three-storey cave located on a hilly and deep a forest has two entrances and seven rooms and also showed some human footprints.
Due to natural causes of rock sedimentations, the cave`s rooms are narrowing and covering some of the cave`s ancient hand palm murals.
The local residents actually have acknowledged this cave for a long time known as the "Rie Tebing" cave from the urban hereditary myth, where a hermit had stayed and formed the cave, a Talang Kubangan community leader, Manto.
The cave itself is impossibly formed naturally, because the surrounding area has different types of rocks from the one in the cave, then it must be man-made cave, especially after seeing the neatly carved stone bed in one of the rooms, Manto said.
According to Manto, there is also one underground room in the cave structure which only an expert can get into the two meters deep chamber.
Manto said that there are many ancient remains in the area but due to the residents` lack of knowledge, the site only becomes an urban storey and ancient sacred history
Local residents just discover the high historical value of the site after several experts published it in the media.
A Palembang Archeology institute researcher, Kristantina Indriastuti said that the discovery was simply incredible and horrendous, because the Paleolithic residence is only known in Kikim sub-district, Lahat, and Mesolithic cave findings in Ogan Komering Ulu district, South Sumatra.
She said that due to the dry floors, the cave was possibly used as a residence, but further investigation is needed to discover the cultural supporting activity layer in the site.
This evidence of the cave`s residential possibility can be proven by the remaining things like charcoal, subsistence (food seeking activity), burial activities, repairs, manufacture of stone tools, and Stone Age man tools, including stone axes, flakes, shavings, and other tools.
"Based on the South Sumatra area with its limestone or Karst Mountains condition, such as the one in Bukit Barisan, cave life activities are possible," Kristiantina said.
There are about 13 caves in the Karst plateau, Kerinci in Jambi Province, and to preserve the cave authenticity, a local community and the Jambi Prehistoric Legacy Conservation Center (BP3) support is needed, she said. (*)

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[Article] Bewah Caveman 16,000 Years Old.

March 10 | Kuala Terengganu (Malaysia) | Bernama.com

Bernama - The human skeletal remains found in the Bewah Cave in the Kenyir Lake area last month are confirmed to be 16,000 years old, Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said said on Wednesday.

"We received the results of the analysis from the United States stating that the remains were 16,000 years old. This makes them the oldest found in the country, following the discovery of the Perak Man dated 13,000 years.--

"We will begin excavation in a week or two to find the skull, and we will retain the artifacts at the Bewah Cave (for public viewing)," he told reporters after chairing the weekly meeting of the state executive council, here.--

The Bewah Cave has been temporarily closed to visitors to facilitate the excavation of historical artifacts.



More informations :
- Archaeologists stumble on 8,000-year-old skeleton in Kenyir Lake | February 7, 2010 | The Daily Star
- Bewah Cave - Cave or Rock Shelter in Malaysia | The Megalithic Portal | Coldrum

(Photo credit : ilhamwahyu)