Stone Industry of Somchai Cave (Excavations of 1980–1981)

Abstract

Purpose. This article is dedicated to the collection of stone tools obtained as a result of excavations of the Somchai cave (North Vietnam) in 1980–1981. Somchai cave was discovered as a cultural object in 1980 and was investigated by various Vietnamese archaeologists in 1980–1981. The Somchai stone industry was attributed by Vietnamese researchers to the cultural and chronological stages of Hoabin II (Mezolithic) and Hoabin III (Early Neolithic). At the same time, the stratigraphic sequence of the lithological divisions of the site raises questions, due not only to the fragmentation of information in published sources, but also the influence of the modern anthropological factor. The description of archaeological material was selectively compiled, and subsequent publications were devoted to general reviews and paleobotany.
Results. Somchai Cave belongs to the Karst region of the Kimboy massif of the northern part of the Annam Highlands (Chyongshonbak). The object is located at an altitude of 85 m above u.m. in the limestone remains in the Muongwang Valley of the Buoy River. It was discovered as a cultural site in 1980 and was investigated by various Vietnamese archaeologists in 1980–1981, 1982 and 1986. The stone industry of the Somchai site contains 845 artifacts. Among tools, the multiple group is represented by sumatralita, further on the frequency of occurrence the adzes, polished axes, choppers stand out, scraped, scrapers and other single products.
Conclusion. By relying on a technical and typological analysis of a collection of stone artifacts obtained during research in 1980–1981, the Somchai cave industry can be defined as pebble and flake. It demonstrates the already developed features of stone technologies and tools, which are more distinctive for later cultures, such as Bakshon and Dabut, but at the same time the splitting traditions characteristic of the Paleolithic of Vietnam, which, like the Paleolithic of all Southeast Asia, continued the pebble-cleaved tradition, are preserved.