Early paleolithic of Vietnam and Southeast Asia

Abstract

The article considers the discovery of a complex of Early Paleolithic sites with a bifacial industry in the central part of Vietnam. Vietnam is one of the unique regions of Southeast Asia, in terms of the settlement of ancient populations of people, the evolution of their culture and the development of man himself, due to its geographical proximity to South China in the north, and during the existence of Sundaland, could serve as one of the transit territories migrations of ancient hominins. In the Gia Lai province in the area of the city of An Khe, the Russian-Vietnamese expedition discovered more than thirty Early Paleolithic sites with pebble-flake industry and bifacially worked tools such as hand axes. According to the tektites found in the cultural layer together with bifaces and pebble tools, two dates were obtained using the 40K/38Ar method: 806 22 thousand years ago and 782 20 thousand years ago These dates indicate that the Early Paleolithic industry discovered in Vietnam existed simultaneously with the industry in the Baise Basin in southern China. Also on the territory of Southeast Asia, several sites with bifacially processed objects and stratified objects with similar technological characteristics of primary splitting dating back to this period were found.