Lang Rongrien Rock Shelter

'behind the school')[a] is a rock shelter and Hoabinhian habitation site in the upland region of Krabi province in west-coast southern Thailand.

Some of the sediment at the site was disturbed by soil collections, but not enough to have ruined the more impressive archaeological finds.

They are characterized by an abundance of hearths built on the floor of the cave, which are then surrounded by ash, charcoal bits, rocks that have been cracked because of fire, animal remains, stone artifacts and other artifacts that suggest the area was inhabited by humans.

[1] The oldest pieces of charcoal found in the lower most layers where human habitation is seen have been dated to around 39,000 years ago.

[1] A piece of charcoal found in the 7th layer has been dated to almost 45,000 years ago, but this is likely because it came from the roof fall, and does not indicate anything about human habitation at this site.

The most recent dates from the site come from pieces of pottery found with the burial goods, and are placed at an age of 3,000 to 5,000 years ago.

[1] The pedestals and bowls were made and dried separately, and then attached by creating a cross-hatch pattern where they are to be connected and glued by using a clay paste.

[1] There are no designs, as the vessels have a smooth exterior, and were fired unevenly as seen by the burnt splotches on the pots.

[1] The pot sherds found associated with burials 2 and 3 have no pedestal, and are instead small with round bottoms and vertical cord-marked patterns around the rim.

Lang Rongrien Exterior
Lang Rongrien Rock Shelter