Melongthab Cave: A High-Altitude Prehistoric Site in Tibet
Situated at an elevation of 4700 meters in the Geji County of Tibet’s Ngari region, the Melongthab Cave Site stands as the first prehistoric cave site discovered in the Tibetan Plateau’s hinterland. It also holds the distinction of being the highest-altitude prehistoric cave site globally.
Archaeological Breakthroughs at Melongthab Cave
On January 22, 2024, the Melongthab Cave Archaeological Team, comprising experts from the Tibet Autonomous Region Cultural Relics Protection Research Institute and the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, shared groundbreaking discoveries. After six years of rigorous archaeological excavation, over ten thousand artifacts from the Paleolithic to the Early Metal Age have been unearthed in Melongthab Caves 1 and 2. These include stone and bone tools, pottery shards, bronze objects, animal bones, and plant remains.
Shedding Light on Human History
Preliminary carbon-14 and optically stimulated luminescence dating suggest that some artifacts from Cave 1 may date back as far as 53,000 to 80,000 years. This finding is significant as it predates the Niadi Site in Nagqu’s Shenzha County, previously confirming human presence in the Tibetan Plateau around 30,000 to 40,000 years ago. Melongthab Cave’s discoveries provide vital evidence of earlier human colonization of the high plateau.
Geographical and Cultural Significance of Melongthab Cave
Located on a limestone mountain about 30 kilometers south of the Geji County town and 104 meters above the Siquanhe River, Melongthab, meaning “Mirror at the Waist” in Tibetan, comprises three separate caves. Cave 1 is the largest, spanning over 1000 square meters, followed by the smaller Cave 2 (about 60 square meters) and the smallest, Cave 3 (approximately 25 square meters).
A Hub of Prehistoric Culture
First discovered in July 2018 during an Old Stone Age archaeological survey by the Tibet Autonomous Region Cultural Relics Protection Research Institute and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the site underwent six years of extensive excavation after receiving approval from the National Cultural Heritage Administration. Notably, Cave 1’s walls feature orderly arranged vertical stripes, human figures, handprints, and suns, all painted in red ochre.
A Wider Archaeological Context
In addition to the cave findings, extensive surveys in the Geji Basin have uncovered over 30 open-air Paleolithic sites and six cave sites, yielding thousands of stone artifacts. Furthermore, five additional cave sites with rock art have been identified, highlighting a long history of extensive human activity centered around the Melongthab Site.
The Melongthab Cave Site offers an unprecedented glimpse into the prehistoric era of the Tibetan Plateau, with its wealth of artifacts and rock art enriching our understanding of early human history and culture in this high-altitude region.
