Laang Spean archaeology, Battambang, Cambodia

The Khmer Times on 28 Feb 2018 announced that La’ang Spean or Cave of Bridges near Battambang would be excavated. This cave has already been well studied in the past.

Mentioned in the article is Heng Sophady, deputy director-general of the cultural heritage department at the Ministry of Culture. He joined us when we visited this cave as part of the 2008 caving expedition to Battambang. There are several photos of the cave on my page.

The Khmer Times article :

February 28, 2018

Ancient caves to be excavated and studied

Mom Kunthear / Khmer Times 

The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and Battambang provincial authorities are cooperating with a working group from France to excavate La’ang Spean, known as the Cave of Bridges, in Ratanak Mondul district.

Heng Sophady, deputy director-general of the cultural heritage department at the Ministry of Culture, said yesterday that this is the tenth time the government has worked with the French since 2009 to excavate and study the 70,000 year old caves.

“For the excavating this year, we have experts to help that came from France, China, and also some Cambodian archaeologist students have joined,” he said.

Mr Sophady said that the excavation of Laang Spean is important to study the activity of ancestors who lived in the caves thousands of years ago.

“Previously, we found that there were three periods in which people occupied the caves, and during the last excavation, we also found six graves,” he said, noting the graves were at least 3,000 years old.

He added that any discoveries made would be put on display at the Battambang provincial museum.

“We will also make a book documenting all the excavations and the discoveries made during them,” he added. “In 2020 our work will be complete and the book will allow everyone to see what we accomplished.”

Battambang Caves 2 - Sdao area

In 2008 I joined an international caving expedition to Battambang, Cambodia.

This area is beyond Phnom Sampeu, on the main road No 10 to the Thai border. The main village is Sdao, in Rattanak Mondol district. We went here the first 2 days of the expedition.

The limestone hills are rather small here. Phnom Chak Treang

There were 3 of us, plus 2 guys from official departments, and then we picked up 2 men from a local office as well as an armed policeman, and each day we acquired a local guide - so that meant 6 locals for 3 of us (not including our driver).

The first cave we visited was basically one chamber, with Buddha statues and beds.

Graffiti in Khmer and Thai

We walked around the field to the 2nd cave. At the entrance a farmer had dug in the floor to deepen it for monks and had found pottery with bones and stone tools, so our official guys were able to collect some pieces.

A ladder led up and another led down to a continuation of the cave.

and there were some big roots in the cave

From here we went to an archaeological site, Laang Spean. It is is bit further around the hill.

It is a large rock shelter.

French archaeologists dug here in the 1960’s. There are 3 trenches, and they found stone tools from 6-7000 BC and pottery from 4290 BC.

Spean means bridge and there is an impressive rock bridge at the top end of the cave.

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission