A team of archaeologists has discovered the 29,000-year-old remains of a young child in a Thai cave with "symbols of blood and power" near it. Not only does this provide a look into how prehistoric people in Thailand lived, but it may also change the timeline of when humans lived in Thailand markedly.

Archaeologists discovered a cave in Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park in 2020 that appeared to have signs of ancient people once living there. The red-pigmented paintings on the walls were located within the main cave as well as three chambers. Scenes that were depicted with the red ocher showed animals that lived during the time as well as humans using bows and arrows to hunt them.

As archaeologists continued to search the cave, they found signs that people had once lived in the cave. From pottery to animal bones and even seeds, it was believed that the people who inhabited the cave did so during the time the earliest people lived in Thailand nearly 20,000 years ago.

This theory was debunked when archaeologists dug 6.5 feet into the earth of the cave. What they discovered was the body of a six to eight-year-old child. The child was named "Pangpond" after a popular children's TV show character.

What archaeologists were able to discover by dating the bones was that the remains of Pangpond were actually 29,000 years old. This marked the oldest set of remains found in the Thailand region, leaving archaeologists wondering just what more they may find in the region that could date the first inhabitants of Thailand an even earlier time than ever believed possible.

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Burial Of The Child 29,000 Years Ago Was Ritualistic

When Pangpond was discovered, the child was found to have their legs stretched completely straight and the arms directly down on their sides. According to lead researcher, Kannika Premjai, it is an indication that the body was wrapped or tied before it was buried. This, in conjunction with the body being placed next to a fire to disguise the smell of decomposition, as proven by the evidence of ash and charcoal next to the body, shows that rituals were done to the child before they were ultimately buried.

"It is believed that the way the body was treated involved rituals, including a theory that this was one way to keep it from being eaten by wild animals. We have learnt from the position and direction in which the body was placed that it was a ritual, meaning the community living here had their own culture and way of living." - Kannika Premjai

Along with the way the body was positioned and the smoke, there were red-pigmented paintings on the walls around the body and stones carefully placed next to it. It is believed, according to Premaji that these are signs of "blood and power" for people who lived during the Paleolithic period.

The discovery of this child is important from a historical standpoint. But it is also important for the timeline of when people first inhabited Thailand, which has been pushed back thousands of years from previous beliefs.

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Discovery Of The Child Pushes Back Civilization In Thailand Back By Thousands Of Years

It has been believed for years that the first civilization in what is present-day Thailand occurred about 20,000 years ago, during the Paleolithic period. But with the discovery of Pangpond, the timeline of the inhabitants of the area is pushed back minimally by 9,000 years and likely many thousands more.

Nearly 400 miles away from Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, signs of "prehistoric" people were found at Khorat Plateau. It is here that instruments forged from bronze and rice cultivation have been discovered.

However, with Pangpond being dated as being alive 29,000 years ago, the people at Khorat Plateau were alive significantly later than the group near the national park.

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It is not clear if these were two separate groups of people or those who may have migrated from the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park region. But, with Pangpond's discovery, it means there is likely evidence in regions of Thailand that shows they are just as old or perhaps even older than the pottery, paintings, or even Pangpond's remains that the cave in the national park held secret for so many thousands of years.