Paper short abstract:

Characterisation of the lithic assemblage found in layers dated between 7000 BP and 13,000B.P.

Paper long abstract:

Tam Hang rock shelter is located in the Annamitic Chain at an altitude of 1120 m in Hua Pan Province, in Laos. During the 1930’s, the French geologist, Jacques Fromaget excavated three localities along the rock shelter wall of the rockshelter and discovered skeletons and a lot of stone tools which have been lost since 1945. In 2003 and then between 2007 and 2013, new excavations were made in opening four new squares laterally behind the historical trench and the backfill excavation left by Fromaget to check stratigraphy and human occupation extension. More than 9000 stone implements were discovered in layers dated between 7080 ± 25 BP to 13,215 ± 45 BP. The technical analysis of lithic remains gives a new characterization of the assemblage with specific tools and two kinds of knapping processes.