Archaeological dig sites in the Cagayan Valley
 
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Archaeological dig sites in the Cagayan Valley |
The archaeological excavation sites in the Cagayan Valley comprise a total of 161 archaeological sites in the north of the island of Luzon in the Philippines . They are located in the valley of the Cagayan River in the municipality of Peñablanca and Solana .
Meaning of the finds
The archaeological excavations have expanded the view of the early history of the Philippines to such an extent that traditional ideas about permanent isolation, the history of settlement and the development of culture on the archipelago are considered refuted. The earliest fossil human remains were dated to an age of approx. 67,000 years using the uranium-thorium method. They are 20,000 years older than the fossils found in the Tabon Caves on Palawan and raise new questions about the archipelago's earliest settlement. According to some archaeologists, these findings refute the previously accepted land bridge theory (immigration via Borneo and Palawan) and show the ability of these early humans to cross larger bodies of water as early as the early New Pleistocene .
The archaeological sites in the Cagayan Valley are the richest sites in human evolution and native flora and fauna in the Philippines. They provided finds from the Paleolithic , the Neolithic and the transition to the Iron Age . This also revealed indications of the domestication of the native flora and fauna. In summary, the excavation results showed that the Philippines' archipelago was never as isolated as previously thought. The peoples of the Philippines have traded with the other peoples and states of Southeast Asia at all times .
Various finds from the excavations are presented at the Cagayan Museum and Historical Research Center in Tuguegarao City and the National Museum of the Philippines in Manila . The archaeological sites in Cagayan Valley are since 2006 on the proposed list of the Philippines for inclusion on the World Heritage List of UNESCO .
Solana archaeological site
The excavation sites in the municipality of Solana include a total of 68 caves and rock formations that are located in the Awidon Mesa rock formation in the eastern foothills of the Cordillera Central . Two flint tools were found in the Espinosa ranch area, proving the presence of Homo erectus in the Philippines. Other finds show that the Cagayan Valley was inhabited in the early days by various representatives of the stegodonts , elephants and other representatives of the megafauna .
Peñablanca archaeological sites
The excavation sites in the municipality of Peñablanca comprise a total of 93 sites and some are located in the Peñablanca Protected Landscape & Seascape nature reserve . They are located in the Callao limestone formation in the northern Sierra Madre . The most famous site is the Callao Cave. The oldest fossils of a representative of anatomically modern humans were found there. The fossil bone finds are described as delicate, which points to a small Homo sapiens or perhaps to a previously unknown species of the genus Homo . However, it is undisputed that the fossil remains from the Callao Cave are considered to be the oldest finds of the genus Homo east of the Wallace Line . Rock paintings have also been discovered in some caves .
See also
- Arubo archaeological site
- Petroglyphs in the Philippines
- Butuan City Archaeological Dig Site
- Kabayan mummies