Tham Lod Rockshelter

Tham Lod Rockshelter is a prehistoric site in the limestone karst of northwestern Thailand, about 150 km from Chiang Mai, with human occupation spanning from approximately 40,000 to 10,000 BC. Excavated from 2002 to 2006 by Rasmi Shoocongdej of Silpakorn University, it yielded multiple burials including a female skeleton dated to 13,640 BP interred in a flexed position with stone tools. Over 1,700 stone artifacts indicate the site functioned as a major tool workshop and regional trading center, with chopping tools, short-axes, and hammering implements recovered. Teakwood coffins were also discovered, revealing sophisticated mortuary practices among early Southeast Asian hunter-gatherers.