Moh Khiew Cave Reinvestigated: New Perspectives and Challenges on a Significant Cave Site from the Recent Excavation

Jutinach Bowonsachoti1,2*, Pitakpoom Argaros2, Prapit Pongmas2, Valéry Zeitoun3, Prasit Auetrakukvit4, and Siriporn Sanghiran2

Moh Khiew Cave, located in Krabi, is one of the most significant prehistoric archaeological sites on the Andaman coast of southern Thailand. Situated within a limestone karst landscape rich in natural resources, the site provides crucial evidence of long-term human occupation spanning from the Late Pleistocene to the Neolithic period. Previous excavations were carried on in 1991, 1994, and 2008 revealed five cultural layers, including a Late Pleistocene occupation dated to approximately 25,800 years ago, which yielded the oldest adult human skeletal remains discovered in Thailand. Associated finds included unifacial and bifacial stone tools, animal bones, shell remains, and evidence of habitation activities. In 2023–2024, the Fine Arts Department resumed excavations at the site after more than a decade of inactivity. A new excavation trench (MKC’23–24 TP1), situated on the western side of the rockshelter, revealed abundant archaeological materials distributed across several stratigraphic layers. The recovered evidence includes lithic artifacts (unifacial, bifacial, and flaked tools), faunal remains, shell beads, bone tools, and features interpreted as hearths. Notably, two human burials were uncovered, including a well-preserved flexed adult burial comparable to mortuary practices associated with the Hoabinhian cultural tradition in Southeast Asia. Preliminary analysis suggests that the burial context may date to approximately 14,000–15,000 years ago. The renewed investigations aim to refine chronological frameworks, examine technological development, reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions, and compare findings with contemporaneous sites in peninsular Thailand and wider Southeast Asia. These results contribute significantly to understanding prehistoric cultural development and human adaptation in the region.