| Abstract: |
The purpose of this research is to contribute to the paleoanthropological history of mainland Southeast Asia from the earliest Pleistocene (1.8 mya) to the mid-Holocene (ca. 5 kya), principally through field work and survey in northern Laos with a focus on the site of Tam Hang. Tam Hang is an historic site known for its archeological and human remains that span the Paleolithic and Neolithic and for its two Pleistocene-aged faunal assemblages (Fromaget, 1936, 1937, 1940 a,b
Arambourg and Fromaget, 1938). In 2007, with funding obtained in part by the Leakey Foundation, a Lao-French-American team performed a thorough analysis of the site, including study of its geology, paleontology and archaeology, and began a systematic survey of the surrounding areas for additional fossil-bearing localities. The following results are presented here: 1. Middle Pleistocene excavations at Tam Hang South 2. Archaeological excavations at Tam Hang South and Tam Hang Central 3. Survey and discovery of new sites for future research: site of Nam Lot Brief history of the site The site of Tam Hang is located in Hua Pan Province, northern Laos (20°24'N and 104°02'E
elevation: 1120 m) (Fig. 1). It is at an altitude of 1120 m and is part of the Annamite mountain chain, which runs northwest to southeast along the Laos-Vietnam border. The site is a cave and rock shelter complex with a geologically-active karstic network located at the base of the P'ou Loi Mountain. Figure 1. A. Location of Laos on Southeast Asian mainland. B. Location of the site of Tam Hang.
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