These two ancient skeletons buried at the Gua Chalan site were discovered by archaeologists excavating a limestone cave there before it is flooded by a hydroelectric lake.(credit: Live Science)
PETALING JAYA: Over a dozen prehistoric human skeletons, believed to be up to 16,000 years old, have been discovered by Malaysian archaeologists in the Nenggiri Valley at Kelantan.
Based on a recent Live Science report on Tuesday (Sep 10), the skeletons were discovered in caves that are scheduled to be flooded for a hydroelectric reservoir by mid-2027.
The archaeology team, led by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) archaeologist Zuliskandar Ramli, said the 16 skeletons found seemed to be from the pre-Neolithic culture of the region.
According to the science news website, scholars had determined that the skeletal remains belonged to a branch of the hunter-gatherer Hoabinhian culture.
The ancient people are most known for their distinctive stone tools that have been found in other parts of Southeast Asia, from southwest China to Indonesia.
Ramli, who led the excavations at the Nenggiri Valley, said his team had found a total of 16 individuals buried in 13 limestone caves at four sites.
“Fifteen of the skeletons were buried in a crouched or fully flexed" position, which indicates a pre-Neolithic burial in this region.
“But the other skeleton had been buried in an extended position and dating of the sedimentary layers in the cave suggested it originated in the Neolithic period about 6,000 years ago.
“This is the most complete and oldest skeleton in a fully flexed position found in the country,” Ramli told the website.
The team also found more than 71,000 prehistoric artefacts from the caves, which included worked fragments of stone tools as well as thousands of pieces of pottery and stone ornaments.
Of these, Ramli said the pre-Neolithic graves mainly included stone tools; hematite minerals, or red ochre; and crystals.
White the Neolithic period grave had burial goods including a stone bracelet, polished stone tools and pieces of pottery.
The skeletons are reportedly housed at the Heritage Department for conservation and further research, while the rest are stored in a special facility of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).
The RM5bil Nenggiri Hydroelectric Project is expected to flood the caves once it’s constructed and create a 53.84 sq km Main Reservoir Lake and a 0.97 sq km Flow Regulation Pond.
