Archeology 1 (3/3)
Summary
TLDRThe script describes the transformative geological events that shaped the Philippine Archipelago, leading to the disappearance of land bridges and the emergence of new islands. It delves into the ancient fishing and food gathering practices of the Tabon Caves' inhabitants, reflecting a continuity with Stone Age methods. Archaeological excavations at the site have uncovered layers of history, with tools and human remains dating back as far as 50,000 years, suggesting a deep connection to early human migrations in the region. The findings challenge our understanding of early human settlement in Asia and highlight the Tabon Caves' significance in the story of human evolution.
Takeaways
- π The script discusses significant climatic changes that led to the melting of polar ice caps, the sinking of land bridges, and the transformation of geographical features such as the Philippine Archipelago.
- π³ The climate eventually stabilized, allowing for the growth of cedar trees over 30 meters tall and the disappearance of the land bridge that once connected Asia to the islands.
- π£ Fishing and food gathering activities have evolved from simple methods to more complex ones, such as the use of fish traps by modern Filipinos.
- π The Tagbanua people still engage in traditional shellfish collection and fishing methods similar to their ancestors, showcasing a continuity of cultural practices.
- π Archaeological excavations at Tabon Cave have revealed layers of history, with findings dating back to 50,000 years ago, indicating a long-standing human presence in the region.
- β°οΈ The discovery of human remains and stone tools at various depths within the cave provides evidence of early human habitation and technological advancements over time.
- ποΈ Carbon-14 dating of charcoal and bones found in the cave has helped to date the presence of humans and their activities to specific time periods, ranging from 3,000 to 50,000 years ago.
- π‘οΈ The types of stone tools found in the cave, such as choppers and flakes, have remained consistent over a long period, suggesting a stable technology and way of life.
- ποΈ The script suggests a connection between the ancestors of the Tabon people and the Aboriginal Australians, indicating a possible shared ancestry and cultural ties.
- πΊ The method of cooking, such as grilling fish and barbecuing turtle meat, has remained unchanged for thousands of years, reflecting the enduring nature of certain cultural practices.
Q & A
What significant climatic changes are mentioned in the script?
-The script mentions the melting of vast polar ice caps, the sinking of ancient land bridges between Asia and the islands under rising seas, and cataclysmic changes that led to the stabilization of the climate.
How did the Philippine Archipelago assume its present geographic form according to the script?
-The Philippine Archipelago assumed its present geographic form after the land bridges sank under rising seas and the climate stabilized.
What traditional fishing and food gathering activities are still practiced by the Tagbanua people?
-The Tagbanua people still practice spearing fish and octopi, collecting shellfish, and digging out brackish water shellfish from the mangrove swamps, similar to their ancestors.
How is fish typically cooked in the Tagbanua community as described in the script?
-Fish is cured and grilled on an open fire, and turtle meat is picked straight from the shell to be barbecued, methods reminiscent of Stone Age cooking.
What is the significance of the Tabon Cave in the context of the script?
-The Tabon Cave is significant as it has provided archaeological evidence of human habitation dating back thousands of years, including the discovery of stone tools and human bones.
What does the script suggest about the relationship between the Tabon Cave inhabitants and the Aboriginal Australians?
-The script suggests that the ancestors of the Tabon Cave inhabitants may have been more closely related to the Aborigines of Australia than to the modern Filipinos, based on the similarities in lower jaw bones found in the cave.
What archaeological methods were used to date the remains found in the Tabon Cave?
-Archaeologists used carbon-14 dating on charcoal found alongside human bones and stone tools to determine the age of the remains, which ranged from 9,000 to 50,000 years old.
What types of stone tools were discovered in the Tabon Cave, and how do they relate to the dating of Stone Age man?
-Various types of stone tools were discovered, including flakes and large choppers made of igneous rock. The presence of these tools at different depths, along with carbon-14 dating, helped to date the Stone Age man to different periods ranging from 9,000 to 50,000 years ago.
How did the excavation process in the Tabon Cave contribute to the understanding of early human history in the Philippines?
-The excavation process revealed layers of time with stone tools and human remains, providing a timeline of human habitation in the region and contributing to the understanding of early Philippine history.
What is the significance of the continuous use of similar tools over a long period as mentioned in the script?
-The continuous use of similar tools over a span of 50,000 years indicates a stability in the technology and lifestyle of the early inhabitants, suggesting a consistent way of life and cultural practices over an extended period.
Outlines
π Climate Change and Early Life in the Philippines
The script describes a period of significant climatic change where polar ice caps melted, causing land bridges to sink and the Philippine Archipelago to take its current form. It discusses how the ancient people adapted to these changes, with fishing and food gathering methods evolving from simple spearing to complex fish traps. The Tagbanua people's traditional way of life is highlighted, including their shellfish collection and cooking methods that have remained unchanged for thousands of years. Archaeological findings in Tabon Cave, such as charcoal and stone tools, provide evidence of human habitation dating back to 30,000 years ago. The narrative also touches on the discovery of human remains and the use of carbon-14 dating to establish the age of these findings.
ποΈ Archaeological Discoveries and Human Evolution
This paragraph delves into the archaeological work conducted in Tabon Cave, focusing on the discovery of stone tools and human remains. It discusses the stratification of the cave, which reveals layers of time with tools and charcoal at different depths, providing a timeline of human occupation. The tools found are similar across various levels, suggesting a consistent way of life over a long period. The oldest tools and charcoal date back to approximately 50,000 years ago. The paragraph also mentions the discovery of a large chopper, a rare tool type, and the use of chert nodules to make stone flakes. The findings suggest a deep history of human presence in the region, with implications for understanding the evolution of early humans in the Philippines and their possible connections to other populations in the region.
π Expanding Horizons of Early Human History
The final paragraph briefly mentions the broader implications of the archaeological work in Tabon Cave for understanding the history of early humans in the Philippines and Asia. It suggests that the findings have greatly extended our knowledge of early human presence and activity in the region, hinting at a more complex and widespread human history than previously understood.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Climatic changes
π‘Polar ice caps
π‘Land bridge
π‘Philippine Archipelago
π‘Tabon Cave
π‘Carbon-14 dating
π‘Archaeologists
π‘Stone Age
π‘Mangrove swamps
π‘Subsistence practices
π‘Aboriginal Australians
Highlights
Great climatic changes have caused polar ice caps to melt and land bridges to sink, leading to significant geographical changes.
The Philippine Archipelago has assumed its present geographic form after these changes.
MEMS, an indigenous group, sailed between the islands and engaged in fishing and food gathering activities.
Fishing methods like spearing fish and octopi are likely inherited from ancient practices.
The Tagbanua people collect shellfish in a manner similar to their ancestors, showcasing continuity in tradition.
The Tabon Caves were once part of a land bridge to Borneo and mainland Asia.
Children catch fish and eels and collect shellfish in the warm shallow waters near the Tabon Caves.
Cooking methods have remained simple, with fish being grilled and turtle meat barbecued, similar to Stone Age practices.
Archaeologists have unearthed jaw burials dating back 3,000 years and remains from 8,000 years ago in the Tabon Cave.
Dr. Alfredo Evangelista is conducting carbon-14 dating on charcoal found in the Tabon Cave.
The Tabon Cave has yielded human bones believed to be 23,000 years old.
The lower jaw found in the cave is closely related to the Niah Man of Sarawak and the Australian original.
The proposition that the ancestors of the Aboriginal Australians may have been present in Palawan 23,000 years ago.
Stone tools found in the Tabon Cave provide a timeline for the dating of Stone Age man.
The excavations reveal that man's tools and table bone caves remained unchanged over a 50,000-year period.
A large chopper made of igneous rock, a rare tool, was found in the Tabon Cave.
The excavations in the Tabon Cave extend the knowledge about early man's absolute station and his origins from Asia.
Transcripts
the last I seen when great climatic
changes have taken place in the world
when the vast polar ice caps have melted
the ancient land bridges between Asia
and the islands sank under rising seas
and the world was rent with cataclysmic
change
peace after the storm the climate
stabilized the cedar will risen over 30
meters the land bridge is gone and the
Philippine Archipelago had assumed its
present Geographic form from now on MEMS
sailed between the islands but many of
the fishing and food gathering
activities seen far removed from the
elaborate fish traps of the modern
Filipinos the small dugout - no in the
way of spearing fish and octopi are
almost certainly inherited from a
remoter past
on the foreshore immediately below 40
cave
Peter the tag Bona can go out and
collect shellfish as his ancestors may
have done thousands of years ago while
behind the porn point in the mangrove
swamps that joined the point to the
mainland of plowin they can dig out all
year round from the dark waters between
the mangrove groups a great variety of
brackish water shellfish all good for
eating the we know the tab on caves once
formed part of the land bridge to Borneo
and perhaps to the mainland of Asia now
it's only exposed at low tide and the
children come here to catch fish and
eels and collect the shellfish that
abound here in the warm shallow water
the way of cooking is the simplest
imaginable the fish is cured and put on
an open fire to grill
and meat from turtles which breed on an
island not far away is picked straight
from the shell to be barbecued - this is
the rightest method of cooking used by
Stone Age Maine long ago and still in
use by workers in the Tabon cave today
the archaeologists have dug deep through
layers of history
first for the jaw burials dating back
perhaps 3,000 years then in Gori cave or
remains going back 8,000 years is that
indication of philippine man
even earlier the answer is yes the
deputy director of the National Museum
dr. Alfredo Evangelista is collecting
charcoal from what must be must own age
cooking heart for carbon-14 dating it
was in there such as this the bones of
early man were found and dr. Evangelista
explains in 1962 by a team of
archaeologists from the National Museum
headed by dr. Robert B pop it is
believed that these bones were found in
a layer that was quite disturbed but the
closest group of stone tools which were
dated by carbon-14 gives a date of
between 20 2024 thousand for the age of
this human bone we have here the lower
jaw or mandible of a main
we found also in the same cave which was
cleaned earlier and is believed to be
very closely related to the NIA man of
Syrah and the Australian original and in
1971
dr. male walking towards cleaned and
analyzed is born in Australia let me
read to you a fortune with report in
which it said that when critically
compared with modular engine most resin
specimens the stubborn lower jaw was
observed to exhibit more characters of
the original Australian than those of
the one the proposition
therefore arises the instrument of the
ancestors of the Aboriginal Australian
where the ancestors of the tug Bwana the
people who were present in Palawan
twenty three thousand years ago if so
then they may have been more closely
related to the Aborigines of Australia
them to the modern Filipinos the
stratification is good the layers of
time show clearly at all levels stone
tools have been discovered and these can
give the answer to the dating of Stone
Age man in the table on cave
here above my head was the original
floor of the cave as we found it as we
began to excavate down to this level we
found this type of tool associated
charcoal at this level you know they see
14 date of about 9,000 years ago the
depth is here is about 55 centimeters we
continued to dig down to about this
level again we found essentially the
same type of tool the depth here is
about 145 centimeters and again we were
lucky to find charcoal which gave a
radio carbon-14 date of about 23,000
years ago continuing deeper and deeper
we found still a similar type of tool
here we found the oldest radio carbon-14
date at about 175 centimeters of
approximately thirty thousand years we
continued deeper and deeper and finally
found this level and the oldest
Assemblies of tools encountered we
estimate from the relationship of the
c14 dates to the depth a depth age
equation that this level is about fifty
thousand years ago we continue to go
deeper and deeper to the bedrock of the
cave about five meters
but the entire deposit here
unfortunately was sterile what is of
incredible significance is that in this
enormous span of time from about 9,000
clear down to fifty thousand years ago
man's tools and table bone caves did not
basically change we did find one other
type of tool
a large chopper made of igneous rock but
this is a very rare tool in Table one
cable less than 1% we even encountered
in a few instances these huge nodules of
chert which were obtained by agent man
in a nearby river bottom it was with
these that man was able to make the the
the church flakes that he utilized and
that we found hundreds of in the cave
and so 50,000 years of early Philippine
history has been revealed and brought
into better focus but a patient work of
the Philippine National Museum team
helped by its tag wanna friends and not
only early Philippine history the
horizon of knowledge about early man's
who are absoultely station and even was
from Asia as
greatly extended by the excavations in
the table on caves
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