Tam Pa Ling Cave
South entrance to the cave | |
location in Laos | |
| Alternative name | Cave of the Monkeys |
|---|---|
| Location | Houaphanh Province, northern Laos 260 km (160 mi) NNE of Vientiane |
| Region | Annamite Mountains |
| Coordinates | 20°12′31″N 103°24′35″E / 20.20861°N 103.40972°E |
| Altitude | 1,170 m (3,839 ft) |
| Type | Cave |
| Part of | Pa Hang Mountain |
| Length | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Width | 30 m (98 ft) |
| History | |
| Material | limestone, karst |
| Periods | Upper Paleolithic, Middle Paleolithic |
| Associated with | Paleo-humans |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 2008-ongoing |
| Archaeologists | Fabrice Demeter, Laura Shackleford |
Tam Pa Ling (Cave of the Monkeys) is a cave in the Annamite Mountains in north-eastern Laos. It is situated at the top of Pa Hang Mountain, 1,170 m (3,840 ft) above sea level.
Three hominin fossils have been discovered in the cave: TPL1, a skull belonging to an anatomically modern human; TPL2, a mandible with both modern and archaic traits; and TPL3, a partial mandible with both modern and archaic traits. The three fossils represent three separate individuals and date from around 70,000 to 46,000 years old. The discoveries indicate that modern humans may have migrated to Southeast Asia by 60,000 BP.