Spirit Cave

One of many limestone caves in northwest Thailand, occupied from before 9000 BC till c 5500 BC, intermittently. It has yielded early evidence of cultivated plants (vegetables, beans, water chestnuts) c 9000 BC, of Neolithic polished stone tools (ground stone adzes and knives) c 7000 BC, and of pottery c 6800 BC. This Hoabinhian site show the practice of incipient forms of horticulture after hunting-and-gathering and before dependence on rice as a staple.

An important Hoabinhian site in northwestern Thailand (clO,000-6000 be), which has yielded many plant remains (betel nut, pepper, gourd, Chinese water chestnut, amongst others) which have led to suggestions that Hoabinhians in this area may have practised incipient forms of horticulture. The upper layer of the site (c6000 be) yielded pottery and ground stone adzes and knives; these are the earliest convincingly dated Neolithic artefacts from Southeast Asia.