大洞遗址

Panxian Dadong - Dadong - Dadong yizhi

Useful Information

Location:	Near Ba Goudi village, 25 km east of Pan. (25.625643, 104.7498213)
Open:	No restrictions. [2012]
Fee:	free. [2012]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	L=1,660 m, Ar=10,000 m², A=1,630 m asl.
Guided tours:	n/a
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Deborah Bekken, Lynne A. Schepartz, Sari Miller-Antonio, Hou Yamei, Huang Weiwen (2004: Taxonomic Abundance at Panxian Dadong, a Middle Pleistocene Cave in South China Asian Perspectives, 43 2, pp 333-359, University of Hawai'i Press pdf online Lynne A. Schepartz (2010): Taphonomy, Life History, and Human Exploitation of Rhinoceros sinensis at the Middle Pleistocene Site of Panxian Dadong, Guizhou, China International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. online Panagiotis Karkanas, Lynne Schepartz, Sari Miller-Antonio, Wei Wang, Weiwen Huang (2008): Late Middle Pleistocene climate in southwestern China: inferences from the stratigraphic record of Panxian Dadong Cave, Guizhou Quaternary Science Reviews. 27. 1555-1570. 10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.05.005. online Huang Weiwen, Si Xinqiang, Hou Yamei, Sari Miller-Antonio, L. A. Schepartz (1995): Excavations at Panxian Dadong, Guizhou Province, Southern China, Current Anthropology, Vol. 36, No. 5 (Dec., 1995), pp. 844-846. Published By: The University of Chicago Press. DOI
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History

1990-1993	first excavation by multi-institutional Chinese team.
1996	inscribed on the list of National Monuments.

Description

大洞遗址 (Dadong) is a famous archaeological site. The name Dadong means Big Cave, obviously a generic name which was given to numerous caves in China. This is Panxian Dadong, the Big Cave of Panxian, which is a paleontological and archaeological site, located high up on the flank of a karst tower. The huge entrance portal can easily be seen from far. The cave contains almost 20 m of sediments from the Middle Pleistocene with numerous animal bones. The content was dated between 130.000 and 260.00 years old. Several thousand animal bones were discovered, but also five human teeth and stone artifacts. The animal remains were mostly Lumbering rhinos and elephant-like Stegodons. They did not live in caves but were probably hunted and then dragged to the cave den, either by animal predators or humans hunting them. Many bones were burned or had cut marks. One bone had a percussion damage mark, where the bone had been pounded, most likely by a stone tool.

The Levallois technique, which is characteristic for Moustérian (Middle Pleistocene) industries in Europe and Western Asia was not found in China. However, during the last decades some sites revealed similar artifacts, mostly in northern China and here at Panxian Dadong Cave.

The cave is currently surveyed for 1,660 m, but the archaeological site is only in the huge entrance chamber, which is 250 m long, 40 m wide and 20 m. The portal is even larger, it is 55 m wide and 50 m high, 32 m higher than the valley. This cave was quite spacious and that a good shelter. It is the midlle of three different levels of the cave. The area right at the entrance shows the ruined walls of numerous much younger buildings, and there is a still existing temple. About 50 m from the entrance the cave is blocked by a huge formation in the middle, the small passage on the right side was closed by wall long ago. The excavations are located behind this blockade, about 60 to 100 m from the entrance.

This cave is an important archaeological site but there is currently no touristic development. As it is quite difficult to get any information about Chinese caves, we are not sure if the cave is actually gated or not.