Paleoecology of Con Moong Cave (Northern Vietnam)

Abstract

Purpose. The study of the Paleolithic in Vietnam was undertaken by French geologists in the early 20th century. During the first quarter of the century, they studied Neolithic cultures of Hoa Binh and Bac Son. In the 1960s, the study of the Paleolithic was conducted by Vietnamese archaeologists. They discovered a more ancient culture of the late Paleolithic, the Son Vi (or Sonvian) Culture. Despite the discoveries made, the issues of the origin of these cultures, their development and continuity are still disputable. In this respect, excavating Con Moong Cave in the central province of Thanh Hoa, which is a multilayer cave and a unique archaeological complex belonging to the era of the final Pleistocene – early Holocene, provides us with the most valuable material on the development of ancient Vietnamese. Results. According to the results of excavations, as well as subsequent studies of the Russian-Vietnamese expedition in 2010–2014, there were three main cultural and chronological periods identified in the cave. The deposits reflecting the earliest period, such as choppers and animal bones with traces of processing, belong to the Son Vi culture and date back to the Paleolithic time. C14-dates obtained from several shells indicate the period from 11 000 to 15 300 years ago. The second cultural unit contains almond-shaped and disc-shaped Sumatra-type tools, short and long axes, bone tips and scraped shells, which are characteristic of the Hoa Binh culture. This layer contains graves with stone tools, oyster shells and ochre and is dated 9 300 to 12 000 years ago. The deposits of the third cultural layer contain stone tools typical for the late paleolitic Hoabinhian and early neolitic Bacsonian sites. C14-dates from the third cultural period belong to the range from 8 500 to 9 200 years ago. Along with the radiocarbon dating method used, palynological analysis, fauna remains analysis and analysis of the anthropological material were carried out. Conclusion. Based on C14 dates, it is assumed that the residents Con Moong cave lived there for 8 000 years, from 16 000 to 8 000 years ago. At the moment, the earliest deposits found are artifacts of the Son Vi culture, which belongs to the upper Paleolithic period. They are followed by the materials of the early Hoabinhian and Bacsonian cultures.