Thailand’s oldest human skeleton found in cave
Archaeologists in Thailand have discovered what could be the country’s oldest human skeleton.
The bones were found in a limestone cave inside Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park.
Experts believe the remains are more than 29,000 years old, dating back to the Palaeolithic period.
The discovery was made in a cave about 125 metres above sea level.
Inside, researchers also found ancient wall paintings, shells, plant seeds, and animal bones, suggesting that people once lived there. The skeleton appears to belong to a young boy, around six to eight years old.
A tooth found among the bones suggests he was male.
Scientists sent samples of the shells and bones to a laboratory in the United States for testing.
The results confirmed that humans lived in the cave about 29,000 years ago. This would make the skeleton the oldest human remains ever found in Thailand.
Archaeologists say that during the Palaeolithic period, the Gulf of Thailand may have been a vast landmass connected to Indonesia.
This means early humans could have travelled overland to this part of the world instead of by sea.
