Spirit Cave (Chester Gorman) - MH0064
19.597703,98.101350
Location
This cave is located near the top of the mountain, about 40 minutes steep walk up from where the Na Pu Pom road crosses the Nam Khong, just south of Tham Pha Daeng. The cave entrances are along the base of a small cliff.
Description
Spirit Cave (Chester Gorman) is a multi-level, dry cave with three major chambers. The most northern chamber is accessed by a small hole and is completely dark. It is approximately 20 m across and 3 to 10 m high. The main central chamber has several levels and is daylit. A half-supported, large coffin piece is in the centre of this chamber and more coffins are higher up on the north and south sides. The south side has a small room with stratified floor deposits and this was Gorman's main excavation site. Further south a small ledge leads to Gorman's "Upper Cave" with semi-supported coffins. This cavern has three entrances and two rooms with flat dirt floors. This is a remote, impressive site with commanding views looking east. Since Gorman's archaeological excavation in the 1960s this site has become internationally reknown. Some floor sediments in the cave remain undisturbed and potential for further research is excellent.
Protection
This is a largely unknown and rarely visited site, contemporary visitors have probably been only local hunters and archaeological researchers. There is no pathway to the cave and the level of threat to the site is considered relatively low. The cave is however internationally renown and mentioned in most books on the archaeology of South East Asia. The condition of the caves contents are threatened by the possibility of inappropriate intrusive research by archaeologists and vandalism by insensitive local visitors remains a threat.
Topographie
SHOOCONDEJ, RASMI (2000). Part of the cave was mapped by GORMAN, CHESTER F. (1970) SIDISUNTHORN, PINDAR; GARDNER, SIMON; SMART, DEAN (2006) Conrad et al. (2016)
Documents
Bibliography 09/05/2020- +Anon. (2011b) "Baseline study for ecotourism development in Mae Hong Son" Final mission report by Thailand Community Based Tourism Institute (CBT-I) for the United Nations Joint Program on Integrated Highland Livelihood Development in Mae Hong Son, Output 1.3: Ecotourism. June 2011. 175p +BAYARD, DONN; CHAROENWONGSA, PISIT (1985) ôChet Gorman: An Appreciation 11 March 1938 û 7 June 1981" Asian Perspectives Vol. 25 No. 1 pp1-12 +BAYARD, DONN; PARKER, R.H. (1976) ôCommentary: Interpretation of Sai Yok and Ban Kao Sites, Central Thailandö Asian Perspectives Vol.19 No.2 pp289-294 ***Chaimanee, Yaowalak (2013) "Vertebrate Records. Late Pleistocene of Southeast Asia" in Elias, Scott A.; Mock, Cary (eds.) "Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science", Second Edition, ISBN 9780444536433 pp693-699 +Chitkament, Thanon; Gaillard, Claire; Shoocongdej, Rasmi (2015) "Tham Lod Rockshelter (Pang Mapha district, north-western Thailand): Evolution of the lithic assemblages during the late Pleistocene" Quaternary International Issue 416 pp151-161 +Conrad, Cyler (2015) "Archaeozoology in Mainland Southeast Asia: Changing Methodology and Pleistocene to Holocene Forager Subsistence Patterns in Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia" Open Quaternary Vol. 1 Article 7, 23pp +Conrad, Cyler; Higham, Charles; Eda, Masaki; Marwick, Ben (2016) "Palaeoecology and forager subsistence strategies during the Pleistocene û Holocene Transition: A reinvestigation of the zooarchaeological assemblage from Spirit Cave, Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand" Asian Perspectives Vol 55 No. 1 pp2-27 +DILOKWANICH, S.; ET AL. (2000) "An Exploration and Database System of the Caves, Mae Hong Son Province" 6 Vols. Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University, Bangkok - STD76, STD107 +Dunkley, John Robert (1985a) "Karst and Caves of the Nam Lang - Nam Khong Region, North Thailand" Helictite Vol. 23 No. 1 pp3-22 +DUNKLEY, JOHN ROBERT (1995) "The Caves of Thailand" Speleological Research Council, Sydney ISBN 0-9589253-9-9 +DUNKLEY, JOHN ROBERT; BRUSH, JOHN B. (ED.) (1986) "Caves of North-west Thailand: Report of the Australian Speleological Expeditions 1983-1986" Speleological Research Council, Sydney ISBN 0-9589253-2-1 62pp +Ellis, Martin; Laumanns, Michael (2017) "Thailand" in Laumanns, Michael; Price, Liz (eds.) (2017) "Atlas of the Great Caves and Karst of Southeast Asia: Part 2 Myanmar - Vietnam" second edition, Berliner Hohlenkundliche Berichte Band 67 pp241-292 +Gillieson, David S. (1997) "Tropical caves in retrospect and prospect" Progress in Physical Geography Vol. 11 No. 4 pp511-532 +GLOVER, IAN; PRICE, LIZ (2004) "Asia, Southeast: Archaeological Caves" in GUNN, JOHN (ED.) "Encyclopedia of Caves and Karst Science" Fitzroy Dearborn, London ISBN 1-57958-399-7 pp107-109 +GOODDEN, CHRISTIAN (2002) "Three Pagodas" 2nd revised & expanded edition, Jungle Books (Halesworth), England ISBN 0-9527393-4-1 448pp +GORMAN, CHESTER F. (1970) "Excavations at Spirit Cave, North Thailand: Some Interim Explanations" Asian Perspectives Vol. 13 pp80-107 +HIGHAM, CHARLES (1989) "The Archaeology of Mainland Southeast Asia from 10000 BC to the Fall of Angkor" Cambridge University Press, Cambridge reprinted (1999) +HIGHAM, CHARLES (2002) "Early Cultures of Mainland Southeast Asia" River Books, Bangkok ISBN 9748225704 375pp +HIGHAM, CHARLES; THOSARAT, RACHANIE (1999) "Prehistoric Thailand: From Early Settlement To Sukhothai" Thames and Hudson, London ISBN 0500974748 236pp and River Books, Bangkok (2001) ISBN 9748225305 234pp +Kiernan, Kevin (1988b) "Prehistoric Mountain Dwellers of North-west Thailand" Asia Wise October 1988 p3 +Kiernan, Kevin (1991a) "Geomorphological evidence for Quarternary climatic change in the Lower Sino-Burman Ranges" Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography Vol. 12 No. 2 pp112-123 +Kiernan, Kevin; Spies, John; Dunkley, John Robert (1988) "Prehistoric occupation and burial sites in the mountains of the Nam Khlong area, Mae Hong Son Province, Northwestern Thailand" Australian Archaeology No. 27 pp24-44 +Kusch, Heinrich (1982a) "Ergebnisse spelaologischer forschungen in Thailand (Stand 1978)" Die Hohle Vol. 33 No. 2 pp59-69 +Martin, Steven Andrew (2016) "Introduction to karst topography with emphasis on Thailand and the Andaman coast" lecture notes, Education Abroad Asia 85pp +Marwick, Ban; Vlack, Hannah G. van; Conrad, Cyler; Shoocongdej, Rasmi; Thongcharoenchaikit, Cholawit; Kwak, Seungki (2017) "Adaptations to sea level change and transitions to agriculture at Khao Toh Chong rockshelter, Peninsular Thailand" Journal of Archaeological Science Vol. 77 DOI 10.1016/j.jas.2016.10.010 pp94-108 +Pumijumnong, Nathsuda; Wannasri, Sineenart (2015) "Teak log coffins in Northwest Thailand: Dated by dendrochronology and 14Cwiggle matching" Applied Environmental Research Vol. 37 No. 2 pp1-16 +REYNOLDS, TIMOTHY E.G. (1990) "Problems in the Stone Age of Thailand" Journal of the Siam Society Vol. 78 No. 1 pp109-114 +REYNOLDS, TIMOTHY E.G. (1992) "Excavations at Banyan Valley Cave, Northern Thailand : A Report on the 1972 Season" Asian Perspectives Vol. 31 No. 1 pp77-97 +SHOOCONGDEJ, RASMI; ET AL. (2000b) "Archaeology" in "An Exploration and Database System of Caves: Mae Hong Son Province" Vol. 4. Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University, Bangkok - site 19 +SIDISUNTHORN, PINDAR; GARDNER, SIMON; SMART, DEAN (2006) "Caves of Northern Thailand" River Books, Thailand, ISBN 9749863135 +SPIES, JOHN (2000) "Suggestions for Cave Management" in "An Exploration and Database System of Caves: Mae Hong Son Province" Vol. 6. Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University, Bangkok +SPIES, JOHN (2001) "Piecing together the past" Sawasdee (Thai Airways Magazine) January 2001 pp44-50 +SPIES, JOHN (2002b) "Under The Golden Triangle" in O'REILLY, JAMES & HABEGGER, LARRY (EDS.) "Travelers' Tales Thailand" Travelers' Tales, ISBN 0885211759 pp324-333 +STEPHENS, HAROLD (2000) "Return to Adventure Southast Asia: With Amazing Thailand as the Hub" Wolfenden, Miranda, California ISBN 09642521-6-3 ppxiv + 227 +Vallibhotama, Srisakara (1978) "The progress of research into the prehistory of Thailand" Muang Boran Journal Vol. 4 No.4 pp55-77
History
After local hunters informed Gorman of the presence of the site, he began a systematic survey in the spring of 1966. Gorman returned to excavate the site between June and July 1966. One of the most seminal excavations conducted in South-East Asia, this site confirmed human occupation from about 12,000 years BP to about 7,500 years BP, including the existence of possibly the earliest known agricultural communities in the region, greatly boosting interest in the prehistory of Thailand.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.3 | Tham Pi Man Long Yuk - MH0139 | 50 | 0 |
| 0.3 | Tham Chan Long - MH0141 | ||
| 0.3 | Tham Srisopon - MH0140 | 100 | 0 |
| 0.4 | Tham Pi Man Pha Daeng Scaffolds - MH0142 | 10 | 0 |
| 0.4 | Coffin Cave MH0143 - MH0143 | 5 | 0 |
| 0.7 | Pha Daeng Outflow (Pi Man) - MH0108 | 10 | 0 |
| 0.8 | Tham Pha Daeng - MH0066 | 1323 | 22 |
| 1.5 | Sink MH0307 | ||
| 3.2 | Sink MH0308 |