Laang Spean
ល្អាងស្ពាន | |
| Alternative name | Cave of Bridges |
|---|---|
| Location | Treng Commune, Ratanakmundul district, Battambang Province, Cambodia |
| Region | Mekong Floodplain |
| Coordinates | 12°51′N 102°55′E / 12.850°N 102.917°E |
| Type | Cave |
| Part of | Phnom Teak Treang hill |
| Length | 63 m (207 ft) |
| Width | 20 m (66 ft) |
| Area | 1,200 m2 (13,000 sq ft) |
| Height | 30 m (98 ft) |
| History | |
| Material | Permian marine limestone |
| Abandoned | around 3000 BP |
| Periods | Upper Paleolithic, Middle Paleolithic, Neolithic |
| Cultures | Hoabinhian |
| Associated with | Paleo-humans |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1965 to 1970, 2009 to current |
| Archaeologists | Roland and Cecile Mourer; Hubert Forestier and Heng Sophady |
Laang Spean (/ləˈæŋ spiən/; Khmer: ល្អាងស្ពាន, L’ang Spéan [lʔaːŋ spiən]; "Cave of Bridges") refers to a prehistoric cave site on top of a limestone hill (Phnom Teak Treang) in Battambang Province, north-western Cambodia. The site's name Cave of Bridges hints to the many limestone arches (or bridges) that remain after the partial collapse of the cave's vault. Although excavations are still in progress, at least three distinct levels of ancient human occupation are already documented. At the site's deepest layers, around 5 meters below the ground, primitive flaked stone tools were unearthed, dating back to around 71,000 years BP (Before Present). Of great interest are the above layers that contain records of the Hoabinhian (11,000 to 5,000 years BP), whose stratigraphic and chronological context has yet to be defined. Future excavations at Laang Spean might help to clarify the concept and "nature of the Hoabinhian" occupation and provide new data on the Pleistocene/Holocene transition in the region.