Spirit Cave: Hoabinhian plants and early signs of horticulture
Spirit Cave: plantas del Hoabiniense y primeros indicios de horticultura
- Date
- c. 9500-6000 BCE · confidence low
- Place
- Spirit Cave (Tham Phi Man), Mae Hong Son, Thailand
- Credited to
- Hoabinhian hunter-gatherers; excavated by Chester Gorman
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What was discovered
A cave excavated in 1965-1966 by Chester Gorman that preserved seeds and fruits of plants such as pepper, nut, water chestnut, bean and gourd in levels of about 8000-6000 BC. It was presented as evidence of early plant use, even horticulture, in Southeast Asia.
Gorman (1970-71) interpreted it as early horticulture with dates of 9750-6000 BC. Later studies question that age and the presence of domesticated plants, and the oldest dates for beans are not accepted.
What it led to
- debate over the independent origin of agriculture in Southeast Asia
- revision of the Hoabinhian as a hunter-gatherer culture exploiting tubers and fruits
- modern re-evaluations by direct dating of the plants