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Daily Mirror
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Groundbreaking discovery of 29,000-year-old human skeleton in remote cave
Archaeologists have discovered the oldest human skeleton ever found in Thailand, a stunning find in a remote cave that could rewrite the history of human settlement in the region In a historic find set to transform our knowledge of the past, archaeologists in Thailand have dug up the oldest human skeleton ever discovered in the country, pushing back the timeline for human habitation in the area by thousands of years. The remains of a young child, endearingly dubbed "Pangpond" after a popular Thai cartoon character, were found in an isolated cave within the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. The Fine Arts Department (FAD) has made the remarkable announcement that the juvenile's interment, located in Din Cave – already renowned for its ancient rock paintings – dates back over 29,000 years. This revelation upends prior conceptions of Thailand's human history, providing an extraordinary window into the existence of prehistoric populations during the late Pleistocene epoch. "The careful burial and the associated artifacts provide invaluable insights into the rituals and daily lives of these ancient inhabitants.", reports the Daily Star. "The body was carefully placed and surrounded by stones, indicating a level of respect and care in the burial process," explained a FAD archaeologist. "The positioning of the limbs, with the toes touching, suggests the body may have been wrapped or tied before burial." The youngster's remains were discovered laid out flat on their back, with the head pointing southwest, indicating a purposeful and ceremonial interment. Initial examination suggests the child was aged between 6 and 8 when they died. By studying soil samples and fossils from the upper strata, researchers reckon the skeleton dates back more than 29,000 years, firmly positioning it in the late Pleistocene era. This find's importance reaches far beyond Thailand's frontiers. Din Cave, perched 125 metres above sea level, has captivated archaeologists since prehistoric cave art was uncovered there in 1996. "The Din Cave site offers a unique window into the past, documenting the evolution of human societies over thousands of years," said a spokesperson from the FAD. "Further research and analysis will undoubtedly shed more light on the lives of these ancient people and their contributions to the region's rich history."
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
29,000-year-old remains of child unearthed in Thailand cave with 'symbols of blood and power'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The 29,000-year-old bones of a child discovered in Thailand are the oldest human remains ever found in the country, archaeologists have announced. The child — nicknamed "Pangpond," after a Thai cartoon character — was likely living with their family of hunter-gatherers near the coast before their untimely death. Both the skeleton and the method of burial are revealing groundbreaking information about Stone Age Thailand. The discovery was announced last month at a news conference held by the Thai government's Fine Arts Department and Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. The skeleton, along with numerous cave paintings, was found at the Tham Din (Earthen Cave) archaeological site in Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. In 2020, archaeologists began studying paintings made in red ocher on the walls and ceiling of three chambers at Tham Din, according to the Prachuap Post. Most of the paintings represented people, and some were depicted using bows and arrows to hunt animals such as deer and monkeys. The stones and red ocher may be symbols of blood and power, lead archaeologist Kannika Premjai told the Bangkok Post. When excavations began in 2022, archaeologists noticed animal bones, shells, seeds and stones that suggested that prehistoric humans used the cave. Radiocarbon dating of the material suggested they lived there from about 29,000 to 11,000 years ago, although it is unclear precisely when the cave paintings were made. Beneath those artifacts, archaeologists recently discovered the burial of a modern human (Homo sapiens) child, around 6 to 8 years old, who was stretched out on their back, with their arms and legs close to their body. Thai Fine Arts Department archaeologists said that this specific positioning of the body likely indicates the corpse was wrapped or tied before burial, as reported by Thai PBS World. Related: New, big-headed archaic humans discovered: Who is Homo juluensis? The presence of ash and charcoal in the grave suggests that, once the body was placed in the prepared grave, a fire was built around it. The idea was to smoke the body in order to drive away wild animals and eliminate the odor of decomposition, the Prachuap Post reported. The burial's location below the already-dated organic remains suggests the child lived during the late Pleistocene epoch, more than 29,000 years ago, Kannika told the Bangkok Post. "This is a groundbreaking discovery that will reshape our understanding of early human presence in Southeast Asia," Phnombootra Chandrajoti, director general of the Fine Arts Department, said in a statement, according to Thai PBS World. "The careful burial and the associated artifacts provide invaluable insights into the rituals and daily lives of these ancient inhabitants." RELATED STORIES —Some of the 1st ice age humans who ventured into Americas came from China, DNA study suggests —Burial of infant 'Neve' could be oldest of its kind in Europe —Mysterious East Asians vanished during the ice age. This group replaced them. In addition to being the oldest human burial discovered to date in Thailand, Pangpond sheds light on human adaptation and survival in a region that is now largely submerged. Sea levels in the late Pleistocene were significantly lower than they are today, making bare a landmass called Sundaland that connected swaths of Southeast Asia during the last ice age, approximately 110,000 to 12,000 years ago. Evidence shows Tham Din has a long history of human occupation, from the burial of Pangpond in the late Pleistocene to farming communities in the Holocene (11,700 years ago to the present day). The site shows the importance of continued excavation in this region for gaining a better understanding of early humans' dispersal, experts noted at the news conference. The Thai Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation plans to protect the Tham Din archaeological site and eventually open it for tourism and educational purposes, Phnombootra said at the news conference.
