Thai Cave Yields Oldest Human Skeleton, Redefines History

[snoop1130]

File photo for reference only

 

In a groundbreaking discovery, a prehistoric human skeleton, estimated to be over 29,000 years old, has been uncovered in a limestone cave at Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand. This find positions itself as potentially the oldest human remains ever found in the country.

 

Phanombootra Chantarachot, Director-General of the Fine Arts Department, and Chidchanok Sukmongkol, Deputy Director-General of the Department of National Parks, revealed exciting details about the discovery. Alongside the skeleton, ancient paintings adorn the cave walls, forming a rich tapestry of human history.

 

These cave paintings were initially discovered in 2017 by archaeologists from the Fine Arts Department. The limestone cave hosts five chambers, with three featuring vivid wall paintings, suggesting a once-bustling human settlement.

 

 

Excavations in one chamber unveiled a treasure trove of ancient artifacts, including shells, plant seeds, and animal bones. Among these relics lay human remains, believed to be of a young boy between 6 and 8 years old. Experts identified the remains as those of a male from a tooth found with the bones.

 

Five selected specimens were sent to Beta Analytic Inc. in the U.S. The accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS) testing confirmed human habitation in the area approximately 29,000 years ago.

 

If verified, this discovery may reshape our understanding of human migration, indicating that during the Palaeolithic period, the Gulf of Thailand was possibly a vast land mass extending towards Indonesia, serving as an overland route for early humans, reported The Thaiger.

 

-- 2025-02-24

 

 

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

If verified, this discovery may reshape our understanding of human migration,

 

The oldest Homo sapiens remains in Asia are from Tam Pà Ling Cave in Laos, dating back 86,000–77,000 years...   (thats a 13 day walk from Sam Roi Yot  national park)...  

 

Then there is the Moh Khieo Cave in Krabi province, with a female skeleton estimated to be around 25,000 years old, which a mere dash in geological time scale, particularly when considering the Palaeolithic period lasted from 2.5 million years ago to 10,000 years ago... (timing is commonly debated).

 

I don't like to be cynical about scientific (in this case archeological) discoveries, but Thai officials do love to over egg their pudding with such announcements.

 

The oldest Homo sapiens remains discovered in Morocco are dated to between 280,000 and 350,000 years old. 

 

 

 

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2023/june/fossils-reveal-early-modern-humans-southeast-asia-77000-years-ago.html

[NoDisplayName]

14 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

The oldest Homo sapiens remains in Asia are from Tam Pà Ling Cave in Laos, dating back 86,000–77,000 years...   (thats a 13 day walk from Sam Roi Yot  national park)...  

 

Sure, but that was a Lao skeleton.

Doesn't count.

[metisdead]

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