86,000-year-old human bone found in Laos cave

 News emerged in mid June 2023 about 86,000-year-old human bone found in Laos cave. The cave is Tam Pà Ling, or Cave of the Monkeys, located about 3,840 feet (1,170 m) above sea level at the top of Pa Ling mountain in northeastern Laos. See Wikipedia on Tam Pa Ling. 

Hominin fossils have been found by researchers since 2009 and there were more significant finds in 2013. Dating the bones  indicated a maximum age of 63,000 years, this would be the earliest skeletal evidence for the presence of Homo sapiens in mainland Southeast Asia.

The articles released in June 2023 reports fragments of a human shin bone and skull have been dated at 86,000 years. This pushes back the earliest known date of Homo sapiens in Southeast Asia. The study was reported in Nature Communications on June 13 "Early presence of Homo sapiens in Southeast Asia by 86–68 kyr at Tam Pà Ling, Northern Laos". 

See also an article in Live Science and another in New Scientist.

Plain of Jars new discoveries

The Plain of Jars in Laos has always puzzled scientists as it is not known why there are thousands of jars strewn across the terrain. See my blog from my 2007 visit on the Plain of Jars.

In April 2016 there was some interesting news that scientists have found signs of ancient burial rituals at the Plain of Jars. The jars are thought to be at least 2000 years old. Although human remains have been found in the past, there are now further finds :
"...three different types of burials had now been discovered; bones placed in pits with a large limestone block on top, bones buried in ceramic vessels, and a single body in a grave."
Read more on BBC news from 5 April 2016.

Grotte Crematoire is a small cave, a single chamber, with evidence of smoke, so it may have been a crematorium or even a kiln. Inside the cave -

Research will continue on the site.

See a detailed article on ABC website.

Phou Khoun, Luang Prabang province, Laos

On the January 2007 caving trip to Laos, we spent a couple of days caving at Phou Khoun. Phou Khoun is in Luang Prabang province, but is not a tourist destination. It is simply a stopover on the journey between Luang Prabang and Phonsavan.

It about a 2.5 hour drive from Luang Prabang and the road is quite windy and hilly, but scenic.

Phou Khoun is a small town built along the road junction. As soon as we arrived, we checked into a guest house, then set off caving. We walked past a small hill on the way to Tham Muay, or Bear Cave.

We had a few officials and even an armed guard with us

The cave is short but pretty

Next day we went to an area off Route 7. I was with the team that explored Tham Dout, or Jumping Cave. A small entrance leads to a passage with lots of stal, then there are climbs down and a low passage.

The guide caught 3 bats for his dinner.

A stream passage leads to a sump.

Next day I joined the team in the nearby Tham Deu. Very nice cave, basically one flat passage, with various holes in the floor.

We saw some pink leeches in the end stream passage

View of the Phou Khoun area

For more on Laos caves, see the BHB publications.

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

Vieng Phouka, Luang Nam Tha, Laos 2006, Pt 2

This is Part 2 of the caving expedition to Vieng Phouka in Luang Nam Tha, northern Laos, in Feb 2006. See Part 1.

Every time we went to a new area we stopped in the village to talk to the head man and get guides. This is a White Hmong village

We went to Tham Pasat Thia 1. Normally cave passages are large but this one had a small section

Each night after dinner the survey data was entered in the computer. The electricity was supplied by a generator for just a few hours each day.

Whilst waiting for us to finish caving, the guides kept themselves amused

A phallic stal!

We were watched as we walked to Tham Kuat

Tham Nam Eng is the biggest cave in the area and is used for ecotourism.

Black Hmong village

and our guide

Tham Pasat has a large entrance

graffiti in different languages

A bamboo ladder

See more on the people of Vieng Phouka , and bats.

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

Vieng Phouka, Luang Nam Tha, Laos 2006, Pt 1

The Northern Lao - European Cave Project is a team of European cavers that has been exploring caves in Laos since 2000. The aim is to achieve an overview of caving areas located in the northern provinces.

They cooperate with the local authorities and development projects and promote cave eco-tourism as part of conservation and contribution to the local economy.

Cavers of all nations are welcome to join. My first expedition with this project was in Feb 2006.

The 2006 expedition was to Vieng Phouka district to continue the work started in 2005. Vieng Phouka is in Luang Nam Tha province, which is close to the Chinese and Myanmar borders.

The team met in Chiang Rai in northern Thailand. We used the border crossing at Chiang Khong - Houay Xai, which is separated by the Mekong River. At Houay Xai we found our 4WD, which was a UN car. The European Union Micro- Project in Vieng Phouka had partly sponsored our trip and also helped in arranging permits and guides.

From Houay Xai it was a very dry and dusty drive to Vieng Phouka. At the time a new highway was being constructed through Laos to connect Thailand to China. There were scores of excavators and bulldozers and diggers etc.

Our home in Vieng Phouka was the Thong My Xai guesthouse. View from my room

We spent the next 10 days caving in the area.

On the 2nd caving day we visited Tham Houay Put. It is a resurgence cave and about 15 m in from the entrance is a duck. Our guide Hong Tong stripped down to his underpants and went through.

He then went back and forth several times and started digging out the gravel floor. It was a flat out crawl, only about 4m long. Some time was spent digging it out then the others went through but I decided to stay put as the water is so cold.

Having come from a warm Malaysia, a water cave in winter in northern Laos was too cold for me! When Hong Tong came back he was surprised that I wasn’t afraid to be alone, because of the ghosts.

Lunch was sticky rice, bamboo tips, green veg, bananas and fried banana.

It was only the 2nd day, but Michael's overalls had had enough!

Some days we had problems with the mud and had to dig out the car and push it.

Tham Ban Thung - the main feature of the cave is the amazing bamboo scaffolding. It is used by the bat catchers.

We stayed overnight in a small village. This lady is smoking a long pipe

The village had a communal water source

Dinner was sticky rice, boiled chicken bits and some banana flowers and ferns.

Breakfast was colourful

From this village we walked to Tham Ong Pra Ngiene

See continuation on Part 2.

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission