Tabon Cave
Encyclopedia
The Tabon Caves are a set of caves north of Quezon
municipality, in the south western part of the province of Palawan
on Palawan Island
, in the Philippines
. The caves are named after the Tabon Scrubfowl
. Tabon Caves is bordered on the south by the town proper of Quezon, Bgy. Panitian
on the west, and the South China Sea on the north and east. The complex has 29 explored caves (only seven of which are open for public viewing), but 215 caves are known to exist on Lipuun Point. They are maintained by the National Museum
, and Diwata Cave and Liyang Cave are open to the public. The Tabon Man
was discovered in the caves, one of the oldest remnants of human inhabitants found in the Philippines.
were discovered in the Tabon Caves. The remains are approximately 22,000-24,000 years old. They were discovered by Dr. Robert B. Fox and his team from the National Museum of the Philippines
in 1962. The team also found burial jars, earthenware, jade ornaments and other jewelry, stone tools, animal bones, and human fossils dating back to 47,000 years ago; the earliest human remains found in the Philippines.
The archaeological finds indicate habitation from 50,000 to 700 years ago while the limestone formation in the reservation dates back from 25 million years ago, or the Lower Middle Miocene Period, based on geological studies.
The Lipuun Point Reservation, covering a 138-hectare island connected to the Palawan mainland by a mangrove forest, was declared a Site Museum Reservation in April 1972 and was made a priority site for tourism development in 1991 for its natural and cultural heritage.
Quezon, Palawan
Quezon, Palawan is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 41,669 people in 8,453 households...
municipality, in the south western part of the province of Palawan
Palawan
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...
on Palawan Island
Palawan Island
Palawan Island is the largest island of the Palawan Province, Philippines. The northern coast of the island is along the South China Sea, while the southern coast forms part of the northern limit of the Sulu Sea. This island is very undeveloped and traditional...
, in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. The caves are named after the Tabon Scrubfowl
Tabon Scrubfowl
The Philippine Megapode , also known as the Philippine Scrubfowl or the Tabon Scrubfowl, is a species of bird in the Megapodiidae family. It is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines...
. Tabon Caves is bordered on the south by the town proper of Quezon, Bgy. Panitian
Panitian
Panitian is a barangay in the municipality of Quezon of the province of Palawan, established through Republic Act No. 2593 enacted on June 21, 1959...
on the west, and the South China Sea on the north and east. The complex has 29 explored caves (only seven of which are open for public viewing), but 215 caves are known to exist on Lipuun Point. They are maintained by the National Museum
National Museum of the Philippines
The Museum of the Filipino People is a department of the National Museum of the Philippines that houses the Anthropology and Archaeology Divisions of the National Museum. It is located in the Agrifina Circle, Rizal Park, Manila adjacent to the main National Museum building...
, and Diwata Cave and Liyang Cave are open to the public. The Tabon Man
Tabon Man
Tabon Man refers to fossilized anatomically modern human remains discovered on the island of Palawan in the Philippines on May 28, 1962 by Dr. Robert B. Fox, an American anthropologist of the National Museum of the Philippines...
was discovered in the caves, one of the oldest remnants of human inhabitants found in the Philippines.
Archaeological discoveries
The skull cap remains of the Tabon ManTabon Man
Tabon Man refers to fossilized anatomically modern human remains discovered on the island of Palawan in the Philippines on May 28, 1962 by Dr. Robert B. Fox, an American anthropologist of the National Museum of the Philippines...
were discovered in the Tabon Caves. The remains are approximately 22,000-24,000 years old. They were discovered by Dr. Robert B. Fox and his team from the National Museum of the Philippines
National Museum of the Philippines
The Museum of the Filipino People is a department of the National Museum of the Philippines that houses the Anthropology and Archaeology Divisions of the National Museum. It is located in the Agrifina Circle, Rizal Park, Manila adjacent to the main National Museum building...
in 1962. The team also found burial jars, earthenware, jade ornaments and other jewelry, stone tools, animal bones, and human fossils dating back to 47,000 years ago; the earliest human remains found in the Philippines.
The archaeological finds indicate habitation from 50,000 to 700 years ago while the limestone formation in the reservation dates back from 25 million years ago, or the Lower Middle Miocene Period, based on geological studies.
The Lipuun Point Reservation, covering a 138-hectare island connected to the Palawan mainland by a mangrove forest, was declared a Site Museum Reservation in April 1972 and was made a priority site for tourism development in 1991 for its natural and cultural heritage.