Prehistoric People in the Sam Roi Yot Mountain Range: New Evidence from Archaeological Excavations

Kanniga Premjai

This study presents the results of an archaeological survey and excavation conducted in Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand. The research originated from an archaeological survey carried out in 2020, which led to the discovery of eight new prehistoric rock art sites. Subsequently, an archaeological excavation project was initiated at Tham Din Rock Art Archaeological Site in Sam Roi Yot District, one of the newly discovered sites, and has been conducted from 2022 to the present. The excavation revealed evidence of prehistoric human occupation and burial practices. Charcoal samples recovered from the archaeological layers were analysed for radiocarbon dating using the Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (AMS) method at the BETA ANALYTIC Inc. laboratory in the United States. The results indicate an age range of approximately 34,000–11,000 years before present, corresponding to the Late Pleistocene to the Early Holocene period.