FIRST DIRECTLY DATED ROCK ART IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

This paper integrates the first rock art directly dated with radiocarbon (C-14) in Southeast Asia with the archaeological activity in the area and with stylistically similar rock art in the region. Penablanca is a hotspot of archaeological research that includes the oldest dates for human remains in the Philippines. The caves in Penablanca with known rock art were revisited and only 37.6% of the original recorded figures were found; the others are likely lost to agents of deterioration. A sample was collected from an anthropomorph and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dated to 3570-3460 cal BP. The date corresponds to archaeological activity in the area and provides a more holistic view of the people inhabiting the Penablanca caves at that time. A systematic review was used to find similar black anthropomorph motifs in Southeast Asia to identify potential connections across the region and provide a possible chronological association.

Automated summary

This paper integrates the first rock art directly dated with radiocarbon (C-14) in Southeast Asia with the archaeological activity in the area and with stylistically similar rock art in the region. It provides a more holistic view of the people inhabiting the Penablanca caves at that time and identifies potential connections across the region.