Con Moong Cave: A Stratified Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene Site in Northern Vietnam

Kandyba, A. V.; Nguyen, Khac Su; Gladyshev, S.A.; Nguyen, Gia Doi; Chekha, A.M.; Деревянко, А. П.

doi:10.17746/1563-0110.2020.48.4.045-056

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Lowland rainforest is found in Cúc Phu'o'ng's humid central valley, while limestone crests are only colonized by hardier, shorter plant species. Cave systems are present throughout the Park, preserving many archaeological sites [41][42][43][44], including Con Moong cave (CMC; figure 1c). This ecologically diverse and archaeologically important area provides a useful study region with which to examine the inland shell middens of MSEA.…”

Section: Archaeological Context Of Cúc Phu'o'ng Nationalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Pleistocene shell midden microstratigraphy indicates a complex history of human–environment interactions in the uplands of northern Vietnam

McAdams

Morley

et al. 2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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North Vietnam is situated on a major route of Pleistocene hominin dispersal in East Asia, and the area's karstic caves preserve many prehistoric shell middens. Fossil and genomic evidence suggest a complex human history in this region and more widely across Southeast Asia and southern China, but related archaeological investigations are hampered by challenging site stratigraphies. Recent investigations of shell middens in other geographical settings have revealed the microstratigraphic complexity of these anthropogenic deposits. But caves promote distinctive site formation processes, while tropical climates may catalyse geomorphic and diagenetic changes. These environmental factors complicate the interpretation of North Vietnam's shell middens and constraining their effects upon the formation, preservation and destruction of these sites is critical to understanding the archaeology of this region. We examine two archaeological cave sites, dated to the Late Pleistocene and located in the limestone uplands surrounding the Hanoi Basin. Each contains multiple shell midden layers associated with prehistoric occupation and burials. Using thin-section micromorphology (microstratigraphy), we reconstruct the depositional and post-depositional histories of these sites, presenting a geoarchaeological framework of interpretation that is applicable to shell middens in mainland Southeast Asia and tropical zones more widely. This work represents a further step towards improving our understanding of prehistoric human dispersals and adaptations in this region. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Tropical forests in the deep human past’.

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Section: Archaeological Context Of Cúc Phu'o'ng Nationalmentioning

confidence: 99%