Archaeologists in Thailand have discovered a series of rock paintings believed to be thousands of years old. They were found in a cave along the Southeastern Coast, about a 4-hour drive from the capital Bangkok. But while they match similar discoveries in the region, not much is known about what they meant to the people that painted them all those years ago. Tony Cheng reports.
To the untrained eye, they'd be very easy to miss, on the dark walls, indistinct shapes in red. But after searching through the caves of the sam roi yot national park, these archaeologists knew they discovered something very significant.
KANNIGA PREMJAI Archaeologist "The colour of the paintings is swallowed up by the dark shade of the cave, which at first made it very difficult to spot them. But when we looked more closely, we were pretty sure it was more than rust stains - something was not right. We then decided to use an app to enhance the paintings, and when we realised they were actually cave paintings, we screamed out loud."
The pictures depict an antelope, a single human, and a family grouping holding hands.
They're believed to be between three thousand to five thousand years old, like similar cave paintings in the region.
Remarkably the paintings haven't degraded in the humidity and heat, a reminder of the small group of hunter gatherers who lived here before.
DR. NOEL HIDALGO TAN Regional Center for SE Asian Archeology and Fine Arts "They would have been moving about in a semi nomadic lifestyle, and they would stay in a cave for a week or so, and then they'd move on to a different site."
But while archaeologists know something about their lifestyle, the meaning of the paintings isn't clear.
Are they instructions, memorials or just for fun?
But they do demonstrate what sets man and beast apart, the ability to create.
DR. NOEL HIDALGO TAN Regional Center for SE Asian Archeology and Fine Arts "If we didn't begin to just play around with imagery and create, we would not have sparked our intellectual development as well."
It's a little known period in Thailand pre history, before influences from South or East Asia had arrived.
TONY CHENG Thailand "Here in Thailand's National museum, there are some artefacts from Thailand pre history, but the problem with these types of cave paintings is that they're in caves, and they can't easily be shared with the public."
But for now, the archaeologists are documenting their discovery and moving on.
KANNIGA PREMJAI Archaeologist "The process consists of identifying where each painting is located inside the cave. We then must take photos of the paintings, measure the entrance of the cave, the width and the height of the paintings."
For the moment, the best thing for these paintings is to be left alone. Large numbers of visitors could undo the artwork that's been preserved for thousands of years. And dried snake skins at the mouth of the cave, suggest the current occupants may be willing to stand guard, Tony Cheng, CGTN, Thailand.
