Ancient site · Other
Spirit Cave
Also known as Tham Phii Man
Spirit Cave is a hillside cave in Mae Hong Son Province, northwestern Thailand, excavated by Chester Gorman in the mid-1960s. Hunter-gatherers of the Hoabinhian tradition used it for four short periods between about 12,000 and 7,000 uncalibrated radiocarbon years ago, leaving pebble tools, food remains and later some pottery and polished stone.
The site was once presented as early evidence for farming in Southeast Asia, but that claim has since been dropped. It remains a key reference for how forest foragers of mainland Southeast Asia lived after the Ice Age.
- Dates
- c. 12,000–7,000 radiocarbon years ago (very roughly 10,000–5500 BCE)
- Still standing
- Yes
- Location
- 19.57° N, 98.28° E
How we know
No writing existed; the occupation layers were dated by radiocarbon in the 1960s and 1970s.
Nearby sites
- Beikthano c. 200 BCE – 6th century CE
- Plain of Jars jars placed perhaps c. 1240–660 BCE; burials at Site 1 8th–13th centuries CE
- Ban Chiang c. 2000 or 1500 BCE – c. 200 CE (start date disputed)
- Đông Sơn c. 1000 BCE – 1st century CE (culture)
- Cổ Loa Citadel c. 4th–2nd century BCE
- Óc Eo c. 2nd century BCE – 7th century CE
Related
- Hoabinhian archaeological culture