There are many archaeological sites in
the Krong No Volcanic Geopark area, particularly in the volcanic caves. Preliminary surveys from cave C1 to cave C6.1, we have
found prehistoric archaeological sites containing pieces of evidence of early human settlement and tool making in the volcanic caves.
These are the first prehistoric archaeological
findings in volcanic caves in Vietnam.
- The volcanic caves in the Krong No volcanic area, in particular, and the Central Highlands, in general, were very meaningful to the
prehistoric dwellers, especially when their living techniques were low. The inspected caves
in the KVG area are relatively wide, wellVietnam Journal of Earth Sciences, 39(2), 97-108
107
ventilated, and easy to approach. With smooth
floors, proximity to water resources, mouths
facing east, southeast or south to receive the
light, these caves appeared to meet ideal prerequisites of “cavemen” to settle in. The survey revealed that ancient people did reside in
the volcanic caves and take shelter under basaltic roofs where they made their stone tools
and potteries with relatively high skill;
- In creating stone tools, they knew how to
choose hard and ductile riverine pebbles such
as silicic chert, silica-rich shale, quartzite or
quartz, etc. They used stone knapping techniques directly on one or two sides to create
the tool edges. Sometimes they used chopping
techniques to separate stones into flakes for
tool making. Beside major knapping techniques, they could also use sophisticated
knapping techniques to improve and smoothen blade edges.
With regards to forms, the ancient people
were able to make shaped tools, such as oval
or sub-rectangular axes, sub-circular tools,
stone flakes, stone slabs, anvils, pestles, etc.
These tools were common in tribes during the
Neolithic Age. By experiment, observation
and ethnographic comparison, archaeologists
suggested that these tools could be used to cut
down trees, clear forests, butcher wild animals, slice herbs, prepare food or work on
bamboos or woods into tools and hunting
weapons.
Although only a few ceramic remnants have
been discovered in the caves, but they indicate
being produced with the ingenious techniques.
They are potteries, made from fine sandy clay,
manually molded, simple forms, mostly pots
and containers with a thin ceramic frame, ceramic coating, square-shaped decoration with
incised dash or dotted patterns. These are
common ceramics in the archaeological remnant in the Late Neolithic and Early Metal Age.
- With tools preserving the techniques of
post - Hoa Binh culture and ceramic features,
it can be suggested that there may be many
generations resided successively in the caves
and under rock shelters in the KVG, dated
from the Middle Neolithic (6,000-7,000 years
ago) to the Metal Age (2,000-3,000 years
ago), even in the last several centuries. To
clarify this prediction, it is necessary to carry
out excavations, stratigraphic studies, chemical analyses on the ceramic and rock samples
chemical and petrological compositions and
ages by spore and pollen tests and radiometric
dating.
- This is the first time the residential relics
of prehistoric people have been discovered in
volcanic caves and under basaltic rock shelters in Vietnam, highlighting a new type of
settlement, a new adaptive trend of prehistoric
dwellers in the Central Highlands and opening
a new archaeological study in the volcanic
caves in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
However, these are only the initial findings, the geologists in Vietnam National Museum of Nature and the archaeologists of the
Institute of Archeology should continue to
discover new cave remnants, to carry out the
excavations and systematic intensive studies
on these remnants, contributing to the research on cultural-historical process of inhabitants in Dak Nong and in Central Highlands,
in general, adding a great valuable of culturehistory of prehistoric humans in KVG.
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Vietnam Journal of Earth Sciences, 39(2), 97-108, DOI: 10.15625/0866-7187/39/2/9186
97
(VAST)
Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology
Vietnam Journal of Earth Sciences
New discovery of prehistoric archaeological remnants in
volcanic caves in KrongNo, Dak Nong Province
La The Phuc1*, Nguyen Khac Su2, Vu Tien Duc3, Luong Thi Tuat1, Phan Thanh Toan2,
Nguyen Thanh Tung4, Nguyen Trung Minh1
1Vietnam National Museum of Nature, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology
2Institute of Archaeology, Vietnam Academy of Social Science
3Institute of Social Sciences of Central Highlands, Vietnam Academy of Social Science
4Phu Gia Phat Company
Received 24 January 2017. Accepted 21 February 2017
ABSTRACT
The Krongno Volcanic Geopark in Dak Nong province with a unique and largest volcanic cave system in SE Asia
discovered in 2007 occupies an area about 2,000 km2 in the Krong No, Cu Jut and Dak Mil districts and several
neighboring communes in the Dak Song and Dak Glong districts. In 2016, Vietnamese archaeologists discovered a
number of archaeological sites in hilly, farmland and riverine areas in the Krong-No Volcanic Geopark; however,
none had been found in the volcanic caves. During the late December 2016 - early January 2017 field trip, a survey
team led by Vietnam National Museum of Nature, VAST, discovered a series of archaeological sites and relics with a
relatively high density in volcanic caves in the Krongno Volcanic Geopark. The discovered archaeological remnants
include (1) stone materials and tools such as dish-shaped tools, short axes, blade-ground short axes, oval axes and
blade-ground oval axes; flake tools, stone flakes, stone slabs; anvils, graters, pestles, etc., hand-fitting sharp quartzite
stones and pieces of loess; (2) pottery, containing various ceramic tools with different thicknesses, mostly fired at low
temperature, crumbly, made of fine sandy loam, hand-kneaded, simple forms, mainly pots and containers having rela-
tively sharp sculptings of varied patterns on the pottery shards such as dot-dash, dotted line, dashed line, twisted rope,
etc.; (3) animal and teeth bones, including fragments of animal bone, or bones of prehistoric human (?). The bones
are mostly decayed and fragile when dry; the hollow portions of bones are filled with porous clay slurry. In addition
to the bone fragments, there are cheek teeth of animals some are fossilized. Preliminary determination suggested the
teeth are of herbivores. Most of the archaeological artifacts were found in caves with flat floors, having mouths fac-
ing east, southeast or south heading to relatively wide areas to absorb the light, close to water sources and convenient
to commute. These are the first prehistoric archaeological findings in volcanic caves in Vietnam, which will be stud-
ied in more detail by Vietnam National Museum of Nature, VAST, and other authorized agencies to highlight a new
type of settlement, a new adaptive trend of prehistoric dwellers in the Central Highlands and to open a new archaeo-
logical study in the volcanic caves in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
©2017 Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology
1. Introduction1
Krong No Volcanic Geopark (KVG)
*Corresponding author, Email: laphuc@gmail.com
contains not only important geological values
but it also bears cultural, ecological and
archaeological meaning, that meets some of
the UNESCO criteria of an aspiring global
geopark (UNESCO, 2009). The nominated
La The Phuc, et al./Vietnam Journal of Earth Sciences 39 (2017)
98
KVG covers an area of about 2,000 km2 in
Krong No, Cu Jut, Dak Mil districts and sev-
eral neighboring communes in Dak Song and
Dak Glong districts (Figure 1).
While implementing the science and tech-
nology project on “Investigation and assess-
ment of geological heritage and establishment
of Krong No Geopark, Dak Nong province”,
several questions relative to the cultural herit-
age were raised to what were the significant
archaeological values in the KVG? How did
prehistoric people live on and adapt to chang-
es in the landscape and ecological environ-
ment throughout thousands of years? How did
they exploit the local natural resources to
meet their needs? To answer these questions,
in January 2017, a survey team including ge-
ologists, culturologist, and archaeologists, led
by Vietnam National Museum of Nature,
VAST, re-examined the old relics, started the
new survey and has discovered a number of
archaeological sites in the volcanic caves in
the Krong No district. The survey has shown
some surprising results.
The archaeological records show that be-
fore 2017 archaeologists had discovered more
than 30 archaeological sites in Dak Nong
province (Nguyen Khac Su, 2007; Vu Tien
Duc, 2015), none of this was in the volcanic
cave. Archaeological remnants were collected
at 12 sites in KVG, including Trung Son,
Thac Lao, Suoi Tre, Thon Sau, Thon Bay and
Thon Tam (Cu Jut district), Canh Nam, Nam
Xuan (Krong No district), Truong Xuan, Dak
Ton (Dak Song district), Dak R'la, Dak Lao
(Dak Mil district). Among these, the archaeo-
logical site at Thon Tam, Dak Wil commune,
Cu Jut district, was excavated twice in 2006
and 2013. The initial research results of these
sites indicated that the remnants belong to the
Neolithic Age and Early Metal Age, about
6,000 to 3,000 years ago (Le Hai Dang et al.,
2013; Nguyen Gia Doi, Le Hai Dang et al.,
2006; Nguyen Khac Su, 2004, 2007; Truong
Quang Quang et al., 2011; Vu Tien Duc,
2015).
2. Archaeological objects in volcanic caves
in KVG
2.1. Geology of volcanic cave area
The geological formations in the volcanic
cave area are relatively simple, comprising
only of La Nga, Xuan Loc and unconsolidated
Quaternary formations (Figure 2).
La Nga formation (J2ln) is widely distrib-
uted in the west of cave area (Figure 2) and
consisted mainly of terrigenous sediments
which are divided into three sections. Section
1: weathered and cracked gray siltstone turned
yellowish gray color; blackish gray claystone
with the shiny surface with intercalation of
thin layers of yellow sandstone; darkish gray
sandy siltstone; the thickness being about 250-
300 m. Section 2: black siltstone thinly lay-
ered, with idiomorphic pyrites scattered on the
surface along with clayish shale fragments,
and thin layers of sandstone containing white
mica flakes; the estimated thickness about
100 m. Section 3: gray, light gray, yellowish
gray medium-to-fine sandstone alternating
with gray, yellowish gray sandy siltstone, silt-
stone and thin layers of claystone; the thick-
ness being about 350-400 m (Nguyen Duc
Thang, 1989).
Xuan Loc formation (β/Q12xl) is widely
distributed in the central part shown in Figure
1, with basaltic rocks being the main compo-
nent which is divided into three sections. Sec-
tion 1: The brownish gray-to-black volcanic
ash, sometimes tuff interbedded with layers of
gray porous basalt; the thickness of about
35 m. Section 2: basaltic lavas including oli-
vine basalt, darkish gray dolerite, plagiobasalt,
having mostly massive structure; the thickness
of about 45-50 m. Section 3: consisting of fis-
sured lava flows along with explosive eruptive
products with black, grayish green olivine
basalts being the main rock type, some subor-
dinate amount of volcanic bomb and breccia.
The basalts are massive and a minor amount
of porous type; the thickness is about 45-51 m
(Nguyen Duc Thang, 1989).
Vietnam Journal of Earth Sciences, 39(2), 97-108
99
Figure 1. Distribution map of Krongno volcanic geopark in related geological formations in Vietnam
La The Phuc, et al./Vietnam Journal of Earth Sciences 39 (2017)
100
Figure 2. Distribution map of volcanic caves in Krong No
Undivided unconsolidated Quaternary
formations (Q) are widely distributed in the
east of the cave area (Figure 2), comprising
sandy clay, patchy-colored silty clay and lat-
erite, occurred as unconsolidated accumula-
tions in the lower session, forming the first-
order terrace of the Srepok River, 3-6 m high;
the total thickness is about 5-6 m (Nguyen
Duc Thang, 1989).
Mineral resources in the study area are
mainly puzzolanas a weathered product from
Xuan Loc basaltic formation in the Buon
Choah commune, Krong No district. Besides,
basaltic construction material and brick-made
clay are found along the Srepok River valley
(Nguyen Duc Thang, 1989).
2.2. Geological characteristics of the ar-
chaeological site-housing caves
Cave systems discovered in the area are re-
lated to the Xuan Loc basalt formation (Figure
2). So far Chu B'Luk volcano in the Buon
Vietnam Journal of Earth Sciences, 39(2), 97-108
101
Choah commune, Krong No district (601m
high relative to sea level, the crater is ~63m
deep) is the only visible volcano in the area.
Caves are found scattered around this volcanic
area. Most of the current cave mouths are sec-
ondary, formed following cave ceilings’ col-
lapse; as a result, they are usually dome-
shaped, and basaltic rock boulders are com-
monly seen nearby. Some cave mouths are
primary, formed following the emission of
volcanic gas and the cooling of eruptive basal-
tic lavas. These mouths are usually circular,
steep to great depth (depth of C7 cave >10 m,
“Python” cave ~25 m, P9 cave ~23 m). Cur-
rently, only archaeological sites related to
cave with secondary mouths have been dis-
covered; especially, in caves with flat floors
near wide, easily accessible, well-light
mouths, and close to water sources. In con-
trast, archaeological artifacts were not yet
found in caves with narrow mouths, poorly
light and stuffy.
2.3. The archaeological discovery in the
Krong No Volcanic Geopark
Thon Tam site: The archaeological site in
Thon Tam (Dak Will commune, Chu Jut dis-
trict) was excavated in 2006 with an area of
52 m2 and in 2013 with an area of 37.5 m2.
The site is at altitude 382 m relative to the sea
level and coordinates of 12042’31.3’’N and
107048’25.9’’E. The two excavation sites
provide the same results. The cultural relics
include stone tools, semi-finished tools, stone
flakes, stone materials and pottery found in a
red basaltic weathering bed with a thickness
of 50cm. However, no traces of residential ar-
chitecture, animal bones, charcoal ash were
found. The discovery of the remnants suggests
that Thon Tam was a stone ax ‘factory’, dated
to the Middle Neolithic (about 5,000 years
ago) (Le Hai Dang et al., 2013; Nguyen Gia
Doi, Le Hai Dang et al., 2006; Vu Tien Duc,
2015).
The survey around the excavation site in
Thon Tam (Dak Will, Chu Jut district) at the
altitude of 335m has found other 15 hills (now
are black pepper plantations or industrial
plants) surrounded by water pools. On the sur-
face of these hills found were semi-finished
stone axes, stone flakes, and stone materials.
The discovery of oval axes, short axes, disc-
shaped scrapers with one or both knapped
sides and polished edge in this area bearing
Early Neolithic making techniques of the Hoa
Binh Culture, well-known in Vietnam and
Southeast Asia, suggesting that the area is a
concentration of remnants of prehistoric set-
tlers in the Central Highlands.
The survey of remnants in volcanic caves:
C1 cave (Figure 3, Survey point: KVG107,
GPS symbol: 083).
The cave is about 300 m from a nearby
pathway, easily accessible. Its mouth is nearly
isosceles triangular (Figure 3), facing the east
at 90°, the width of the base about 3.5-4 m,
the ceiling about 3 m high, and >100 m long.
The mouth of C1 cave was formed by thin and
weak ceiling collapse. At the center of the
floor closer to the mouth there is a narrow ba-
saltic ridge with rough surface due to solid la-
va ‘stalagmites’, all looks like a large croco-
dile, heading to the cave mouth (Figure 4).
Pieces of pottery, potsherds with dotted line
pattern, red pottery broken pieces, made by
fine sandy clay, low temperature fired, were
collected on the floor. In addition, angular
quartz fragments, 2 to 4 cm size were found in
the cave. Whether these fragments were
quartz tool-making wastes of prehistoric peo-
ple or of shooting projectiles of homemade
catapults of the local people remain unan-
swered. Several pieces of ocher-stained limb
bones were also recovered in the cave, possi-
bly human bones (?).
From the mouth of C1 cave to 100° east-
ward is part of the same cave having ceiling
collapse forming a double-mouth cave. There
is a sunroof near the eastern mouth, with a di-
ameter of about 1.7 m. This part of the cave is
about 17-20 m long expanding in the sub-
latitudinal direction. Especially, a tree-shaped
mold, more than 5m long and about 10cm in
diameter, is seen on the south wall.
La The Phuc, et al./Vietnam Journal of Earth Sciences 39 (2017)
102
Figure 3. Mouth of C1 cave Figure 4. C1 floor
At the foot of the northern flank of C1-1
cave, a black soil trench was discovered con-
taining many potsherds, pottery parts of 2-3
mm thick, some incised with dash patterns.
Found also were a few shells of mountain
snails, including Cyclophorus sp.
- C3 cave (Survey point: KVG108, GPS
symbol: C3): C3 cave is about 1 km west-
northwest from C1 cave. The cave is 594.4 m
long (La The Phuc et al., 2015) having mouth
facing east at 110°. The mouth was collapsed,
currently is about 4.5-5 m below the surround-
ing relief, 20 m wide, 15m high, with basalts
falling following the ceiling collapse piling up
in front. The thickness of current ceiling cover
is about 3-5 m. A tree-shaped mold is seen on
the left wall of the mouth having a diameter of
about 40 cm. Rock boulders up to several cu-
bic meters are seen scatter on the floor. C3
cave at its current stage is not suitable for set-
tlement, however, if it was a place of prehis-
toric humans, any remnants left must be bur-
ied under the falling rocks. No archaeological
relics have been found in the cave.
- C4 cave (Survey point: KVG109, GPS
symbol: C4): C4 cave is 251 m long, about
300-400 m from C3 cave southeastward (La
The Phuc et al., 2015). The mouth is in a
5-8 m deep depression, resulted from a ceiling
collapse, half-round-shaped, facing south at
190°. The ceiling height 4.5-5 m high and the
cave is 12-15 m wide. The floor is relatively
flat, lower towards the mouth, covered with
moist soil and basalt fragments with sizes of
10-40 cm. The floor is gradually higher as the
cave becomes deeper, exposing solid basaltic
bedrock (Figure 5). About 40 m from the
mouth the cave turns left and extends deep in-
side. A large basaltic boulder, about 1.5 m3,
lies near the mouth also as a result of the ceil-
ing collapse. Several archaeological artifacts
were discovered near the mouth, including
pebble materials, axes, stone flakes, anvils
made from riverine pebbles, a piece of opal -
chalcedony; animal teeth, loess with the trace
of rodent teeth. Also found are crude potter-
ies, small pottery pieces of 2-3 mm showing
sculpting decoration similar to those observed
on ceramics of the Neolithic Age in this area
dated at 4,000-5,000 years ago (Figures 5, 6,
7, 8, 9, 10, 11).
- Additional survey point in the area of
C4-1(Survey point: KVG109/1): South-
southeastward from C4 cave, across a lowland
because of the ceiling collapse, there are two
short cave branches lying parallel each other.
Each cave is 100 m long with two mouths at
both ends (due to ceiling collapse). Two
northwestern mouths face 330° NW, towards
the C4’s mouth. These two branch caves, hav-
Vietnam Journal of Earth Sciences, 39(2), 97-108
103
ing similar sizes, were possibly separated
from the main C4 cave. The sectional area of
each branch is elliptical, about 12 m high and
15-20 m wide. A pile of basaltic rocks formed
by ceiling collapse is seen near the southern
mouth of the eastern cave. The wall in the
northern mouth of the eastern cave is com-
posed of porous basalt with large vesicles,
coated with a thin layer of volcanic glass.
Fragments of broken riverine pebbles and
stones with hitting cracks (material stone) of
prehistoric humans were found on the floor in
the western branch cave.
- C6 cave (Survey point: KVG117, GPS
symbol: 091): C6 cave is 180.3 m long, about
200 m from C4 cave to the east, with the
mouth facing southeast at 140° (La The Phuc
et al., 2015). The cave spreads in the southeast
- northwest direction from the mouth. A light
well, about 2 m in diameter, is located at the
end of the northwestern side. The ceiling coat-
ing is fairly solid, 5-8 m thick above the
mouth and gradually becoming thinner inside.
From the light well, a branch expands to the
northeast, then makes an elbow-sharp turn
southward to join the major cave branch. The
floor of the minor branch is higher than the
main branch and is relatively flat. The place is
good for living for privacy and air circulation
thank to the light well at the end of the cave.
The floor of the major branch is relatively
smooth, except for some basaltic rocks scat-
tered on the floor. In general, the C6 cave is
favorable for the residence of prehistoric peo-
ple. Many archaeological artifacts were dis-
covered in the cave such as semi-finished
stone axes, basaltic stone flakes, loess, grav-
els, and thick potsherds of 1.5-2 mm with
plain surfaces or having twisted rope pattern
(Figures 12, 13, 14).
Figure 5. Mouth of C4 cave
Figure 6. Stones and Potteries at C4 cave
Figure 7. Disc-shaped tool, C4 cave
Figure 8. Disc-shaped tool, C4 cave
La The Phuc, et al./Vietnam Journal of Earth Sciences 39 (2017)
104
Figure 9. Short axe, C4 cave
Figure 10. Anvil made from pebble, C4 cave
Figure 11. Potteries, C4 cave
Figure 12. Potteries, C6 cave.
Figure 13. Fossil of pig teeth, C6 cave
Figure 14. Human limb bones (?), C6 cave
- C6’ cave (Survey point: KVG118, GPS
symbol: 092): C6’ cave is approximately 200-
300 m from C6 cave south-southeastward,
with a dome-shaped mouth >10 m high (Fig-
ure 14). C6’ cave is ellipse- shaped, about
15 m wide and 13 m high. It is possible that
C6 and C6’ caves were once a unity but
divided following a ceiling collapse. The floor
of C6’ cave is relatively flat, with basalt rocks
protruding on both walls. There are grooves
on the wall of C6’ cave, suggesting lava flow
direction. The alignment of grooves is vertical
or twisted, along with gravitationally oriented
stalactites observed on the walls, suggesting
Vietnam Journal of Earth Sciences, 39(2), 97-108
105
that the lava flows by were twisted, leaned
along the cave walls due to gravitational ef-
fect during the C6’ cave formation process.
Inside the cave, nearby the mouth 13 stone ar-
tifacts, 27 potsherds and several pieces of an-
imal bones and teeth were discovered. The
stone remnants include 3 pieces of material
stone derived from riverine pebbles from
Srepok River (?); claystone, quartz and clay
siltstone slate; 6 pieces of primary and sec-
ondary stone flakes, separated from claystone,
fine-clay siltstone, with sizes shorter than
7cm; 4 stone axes with one knapped side, 2
made from basalt, others made from meta-
morphosed siltstone to quartzite state (Figures
16, 17, 18, 19, 21). Pottery was made from
coarse-grained sandy clay; ceramic coating of
some pieces was peeled. The surface was in-
cised with dash patterns or dash- circle-shaped
patterns. There are two pieces with bulging
mouth, bell-shaped, thick edge; and rounding-
shaped, without mouth edge; one piece with
mouth decorated with incised dash and circle-
shaped patterns, having the thickness about
0.4-0.6 cm (Figure 19).
- C6.1 cave (Survey point: KVG120): C6.1
cave is 293 m long, about 270 m from C6
cave south-southeastward (La The Phuc et al.,
2015). This area is a largely subsided terrain
containing 3 cave mouths:
+ Mouth 1: faces north at 10°; two
potsherds were found here;
+ Mouth 2: faces east at 100°. Several
archaeological artifacts were discovered by
local people while exploiting bat droppings at
this site.
+ Mouth 3: faces south at 160°. Like
mouth 2, while digging the cave foundation
for bat droppings local residents found many
archaeological artifacts, including tools such
as oval axes, blade-sharpened oval axes,
blade-sharpened short axes (Figures 22, 23,
24), stone flakes and potteries similar to those
in C4 cave.
Figure 15. Mouth of C6 cave
Figure 16. Relics on the floor of C6 cave
Figure 17. Stone flake, C6 cave
Figure 18. Stone flakes, C6 cave
La The Phuc, et al./Vietnam Journal of Earth Sciences 39 (2017)
106
Figure 19. Quartz tool, C6 cave
Figure 20. Potteries at C6 cave
Figure 21. Ocher at C6 cave
Figure 22. Oval axe at C6.1 cave
Figure 23. Oval axe with polished edge C6.1 cave
Figure 24. Short axe with polished edge, C6.1 cave
3. Initial Remarks
- There are many archaeological sites in
the Krong No Volcanic Geopark area, particu-
larly in the volcanic caves. Preliminary sur-
veys from cave C1 to cave C6.1, we have
found prehistoric archaeological sites contain-
ing pieces of evidence of early human settle-
ment and tool making in the volcanic caves.
These are the first prehistoric archaeological
findings in volcanic caves in Vietnam.
- The volcanic caves in the Krong No vol-
canic area, in particular, and the Central High-
lands, in general, were very meaningful to the
prehistoric dwellers, especially when their liv-
ing techniques were low. The inspected caves
in the KVG area are relatively wide, well-
Vietnam Journal of Earth Sciences, 39(2), 97-108
107
ventilated, and easy to approach. With smooth
floors, proximity to water resources, mouths
facing east, southeast or south to receive the
light, these caves appeared to meet ideal pre-
requisites of “cavemen” to settle in. The sur-
vey revealed that ancient people did reside in
the volcanic caves and take shelter under ba-
saltic roofs where they made their stone tools
and potteries with relatively high skill;
- In creating stone tools, they knew how to
choose hard and ductile riverine pebbles such
as silicic chert, silica-rich shale, quartzite or
quartz, etc. They used stone knapping tech-
niques directly on one or two sides to create
the tool edges. Sometimes they used chopping
techniques to separate stones into flakes for
tool making. Beside major knapping tech-
niques, they could also use sophisticated
knapping techniques to improve and smooth-
en blade edges.
With regards to forms, the ancient people
were able to make shaped tools, such as oval
or sub-rectangular axes, sub-circular tools,
stone flakes, stone slabs, anvils, pestles, etc.
These tools were common in tribes during the
Neolithic Age. By experiment, observation
and ethnographic comparison, archaeologists
suggested that these tools could be used to cut
down trees, clear forests, butcher wild ani-
mals, slice herbs, prepare food or work on
bamboos or woods into tools and hunting
weapons.
Although only a few ceramic remnants have
been discovered in the caves, but they indicate
being produced with the ingenious techniques.
They are potteries, made from fine sandy clay,
manually molded, simple forms, mostly pots
and containers with a thin ceramic frame, ce-
ramic coating, square-shaped decoration with
incised dash or dotted patterns. These are
common ceramics in the archaeological rem-
nant in the Late Neolithic and Early Metal Age.
- With tools preserving the techniques of
post - Hoa Binh culture and ceramic features,
it can be suggested that there may be many
generations resided successively in the caves
and under rock shelters in the KVG, dated
from the Middle Neolithic (6,000-7,000 years
ago) to the Metal Age (2,000-3,000 years
ago), even in the last several centuries. To
clarify this prediction, it is necessary to carry
out excavations, stratigraphic studies, chemi-
cal analyses on the ceramic and rock samples
chemical and petrological compositions and
ages by spore and pollen tests and radiometric
dating.
- This is the first time the residential relics
of prehistoric people have been discovered in
volcanic caves and under basaltic rock shel-
ters in Vietnam, highlighting a new type of
settlement, a new adaptive trend of prehistoric
dwellers in the Central Highlands and opening
a new archaeological study in the volcanic
caves in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
However, these are only the initial find-
ings, the geologists in Vietnam National Mu-
seum of Nature and the archaeologists of the
Institute of Archeology should continue to
discover new cave remnants, to carry out the
excavations and systematic intensive studies
on these remnants, contributing to the re-
search on cultural-historical process of inhab-
itants in Dak Nong and in Central Highlands,
in general, adding a great valuable of culture-
history of prehistoric humans in KVG.
Aknowlegements
The survey team gratefully thank Vietnam
National Museum of Nature, VAST, Depart-
ment of Science and Technology and leaders
of Dak Nong for providing the most favorable
conditions for the survey team to fulfill the
scientific study and achieve the new findings.
This report was completed during the imple-
mentation of the project “Investigation and
assessment of geological heritage and estab-
lishment of Krong No Geopark, Dak Nong
province”.
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