The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal 7(1): 11-22, May 2013.© 2013 by National Science Museum, Thailand

Summary of Vertebrate and Molluscan AssemblagesExcavated from Late-Pleistocene andHolocene Deposits at Khao Toh Chong

Rockshelter, Krabi, Thailand

Cyler Conrad>', Hannah G. Van Vlack2, Ben Marwick ', Cholawit

Thengcharoenchalklt", Rasmi Shoocongdej" and Boonyarit Chaisuwan"

1University of New Mexico, Department of Anthropology, MSC01-1040, Anthropology 1,Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

'San Jose State University, Department of Anthropology, Clark Hall Suite469, OneWashington Square, San Jose, California, USA

3University of Washington, Department of Anthropology, Box 353100, Seattle, Washington,USA

4National Science Museum, Technopolis, Khlong5, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, Thailand"Silpakom University, Department of Archaeology, Naphrathard Rood, Bangkok. Thailand

6J j/h Regional Office of Fine Arts Department, Srisoonthon Road, Phuket, Thailand

ABSTRACT: The zooarchaeological record of a recently excavatedrockshelter site in peninsular Thailand is summarized. Detailed identificationof mammalian, reptilian, piscean and molluscan taxa indicate a uniqueforaging pattern of prehistoric humans throughout the late-Pleistocene toHolocene.

KEY WORDS: vertebrate and molluscan assemblages, late-Pleistocene andHolocene deposits, Khao Toh Chong, Krabi, Thai land.

INTRODUCTION

Khao Toh Chong Rockshelter is asite which was excavated Junethrough July 20 II outside of Krabi,Thailand (Fig. I). Khao Toh Chong(KTC) is significant to SoutheastAsian archaeology because of itssimilarities and proximity to LangRongrien, a site with a long butsparse archaeological sequence(Anderson, 1990; Mudar andAnderson, 2007). KTC has potentialto address questions of humanadaptation raised by previous work inthe region due to its high-resolution

*Corresponding author.E-mail: cylerc@unm.edu

archaeological deposit. Thearchaeological and faunal recordsindicate that the excavated depositspans from the late-Pleistocene untilrecent times (Fig. 3; see Marwicketal., 2013 for more details). Duringexcavations the deposit was observedto be relatively undisturbed withintact stratigraphy. Faunal remainsindi-cate prehistoric human exploit-tation of freshwater dwelling shell-fish and turtles or tortoises, as well asa variety of small and large sizedmammals. Mollusk discard ratesappear to peak in the early Holocene,coincident with the increased

12 The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal 7(1), May 2013

monsoonal precipitation. Vertebrateremains show the reI iance onartiodactyla during the terminalPleistocene, followed by theexploitation of reptiles. We attributethis shift to adaptation of humanforaging and hunting behaviours, tolocal environmental conditions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two trenches, A and B, wereexcavated in four one by one meterunits (Fig. 2). In Trench A, thesouthernmost trench, excavationsreached a depth of1.1 meters belowthe surface (mbs) (Fig. 3). In trenchB, the northernmost trench,excavations were obstructed bybedrock in the northwest andsouthwest units. Subsequently,excavation depths in trench Bextended to approximately 2.0 metersin the northeast and southeast units.A 0.03 m screen was used to sievethe upper strata, while a 0.10 mscreen was used to sieve lower stratasediment during the excavationbecause the high clay content made itdifficult for the deposit to passthrough the smaller mesh.Zooarchaeological analyses wereperformed on all faunal materialexcavated from the southwest unit ofTrench A. Mammalian, reptilian, andpiscean taxa were identified usingstandard zooarchaeological referencemanuals (Lekagul and McNeely,1977; Auetrakulvit, 2004; France,

2009 and Ankel-Simons, 2000).Molluscan taxa were identified usingthe comparative collections of theNational Science Museum ofThailand and additional molluskreferences manuals (Swennenet al.,200 I; Jiwaluk et al., 2007 andSucharit and Panha, 2008). Theidentification processes werehampered by the lack of comparativeskeletal material for mammalian,reptilian and piscean taxa. As such,identification of the former wasgenerally broad based in order tolimit identification error and providea basis for future analysis. Avian taxawere absent from this unit of theKTC assemblage. Number ofidentified specimen (N1SP) countswere used to record the abundance offaunal taxa per stratigraphic unit(Lyman, 2008).

A digital palm scale was used torecord the mass of identifiedelements to the nearest 0.1 gram.Standard inter-landmark dimen-sionswere taken in millimeters, whenapplicable. In addition, identificationof cut marks and burning were notedfor both mollusk and vertebrate re-mains. Photographs of complete mol-lusk specimens were taken using aCanon EOS60D digital camera (Figs.4 and 5). All archaeofaunal speci-mens are deposited at the Departmentof Archaeology, Silpakorn Univer-sity, Bangkok, Thailand.

Conradet al., Summary of Vertebrate and Molluscan Assemblages ... 13

Thailand

.Bangkok

Cambodia

KilometersIo 125

I250

Figure 1. Approximate location of Lang Rongrien Rockshelter (1) and KhaoToh Chong Rockshelter (2) outside of Krabi, southern Thailand.

I

I

r-------------------- -

14

Rockshelter

i~------ 28m S!:timKloorth

-0-0-\0-0-0 \

\0-0-0-0 I

!Rubber Tree Zone :

i-0-0--0-0 i,

j

I::/

,/-0- .I//

(/

C.Q>",,,,,l()/1

The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal 7(1), May 2013

Cross-Section of TrenchB showing inslrusive rock

excavation trench B

excavation trench A

Keyt-+----I

0 Rubber Tree 0 2m

Natural Vegetation

Rock Shelter

i',.Rock

Tree

-- Overhang

- Dripline

Figure 2. KTC trench location and site morphology (Marwicket al., 2013).

Conradeta/., Surrunary of Vertebrate and Molluscan Assemblages ...---"'---------

15

Khao Too Chong, Trench A. Soultl Section

248 cal B.PJ 292 cal B.P.,,,,,, •• 2

""".,context 4

conte-.15

""'® context 6 0

context 7

.......8_.,llI'lf!xcavated

d990 cal B. o

3064 cal

6436 ca.1 :B;;;,P-,-, -"C=;5~

7973 cal B.P.

13801 cal B.P.

13995 cal S. P

16337 caIS.P.

13286 cal B.P.

melersbelow the surlace-0.00

-0.10

- 0.20

- 0.30

-0.40

- 0.50

-0.60

- 0.70

- 0.80

- 0.00

-1.00

-1.10

Figure 3. KTC stratigraphy, radiocarbon dates and sample origin in Trench A(Marwick et al., 2013).

Figure 4. Shells from unit ASW- A.Nerita balteataB. Neoradina prasongiC.Plectopylis degerbolaeD. Cyclophorus malaynus.

16 The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal 7( I), May 2013

Figure 5.Rhiostoma jalorensisshellsfrom ASW Notice calcare-ous effect of the limestonerockshelter in specimen Band D. The operculumswere fossilized in situ within the mollusk.

Table 1. Mammalian, reptilian, and piscean NISP counts per stratigraphic

context.

NISPTaxa per StratigraphicContext 2 3 4 5 6 7H 8 7L N1SP

Osteichthyes subclass indet. 5 2 7

Testudines fam. indet. 21 36 25 10 42 26 II 44 215

Varanus sp. 1 1 9 6 12 4 I 5 39

Pythonidae gen. inde!. 1 I

Primates fam. indet. 2 I 2 6

Macaca sp. 5 8 -. 3 17

Trachypithecus obscurus 2 2

Rodentia fam. indet. 2 1 4

Rattus remotus 1 1

Cannomys badius 2 2

Atherurus macrourus 1

Carnivora fam. indet. I

Tragulidae gen. indet. I

Cervus unicolor I

Muntiacus muntjak 3 4

Bovidae gen. indet. I 1

Conrad et al., Summary of Vertebrate and Molluscan Assemblages .. 17

Table 2.Mollusk NISP counts per stratigraphic context.

NISPTaxa perStrati a hie Context 2 3 4 5 6 7H 8 7L NISP

GastropodaNeritidae gen. indet. 1 1

Nerita botteata 2 2

(J1c1ophorllssp. 7 7

Cyclophoruscf. saturnus 1 1

(J1c1ophorus matayanus 9 1 1 11

Cyclophoridae gen. indet. 2 3 2 1 28 5 30 71

Rhiostoma ja/orensis 2 2 10 9 2 2 27

Rhiostoma sp. 6 3 2 11

Filopailldina sp. 2 2

Viviparidae gen. indet. 1 1

PI/asp. 2 4 6

Ampullariidae gen. indet. 3 3 6

Neoradina prasongi 8 134 52 82 1584 2215 771 4846

Te/escopium te/escopium 3 2 3 4 2 14

Muricidae gen. indet. 1 4 1 6

Plectopylis degerbolae 1 1 2 3 5 12

Amphtdromus atncaltosus 1 1 1 3

BivalviaAnadarasp. 1 1

Arcidae gen. indet. 3 1 4

Pseudodonsp. 1 9 10

Amblemidae gen. indet. 56 72 143 372 643

Corbiculidae gen. indet. 1 1

2500 Abundant i\loIlusks at KTC Figure 6.Shifting Neoradina prasongi,

2000-Nt~)I"'adi.n1l p~$(lngi

Amblemidae, and Cyclophoridae-Alllbitmidat abundance throughout the late--C)'c1upl}()ridllt Pleistocene and Holocene at

1500

;;; KTC.z

1000

500

0 .,~..,.,. .,~..,~..,~..;.. .,~..,~.;tl #,.Y "..Y ,.i~pfl ,l h.Y ~.Y" ~ ~ ,p ~ $',,~ .,,;>~

Context

fresh-water stream resources. Occur-rence of abundant turtle or tortoiseremains at KTC also suggests thatfresh-water stream habitats werefound in proximity to the sitethroughout the late-Pleistocene andearly-Holocene.

18 The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal 7(1 ), May 2013--------

DISCUSSION

KTC rockshelter has a remarkablyundisturbed record of mammalian,reptilian, piscean and molluscanassemblages present in situ. Theinvertebrate record at the rockshelterprovides a unique and detaileddescription of molluscan taxa andsubsistence patterns during periods ofoccupation. Neoradina prasongtmolluscs were abundant during thelate-Pleistocene, but much lessfrequent during the mid and lateHolocene.

As Brandt (1974) describes,Neora-dina prasongi mollucs live in fresh-water stream habitats. At KTC,Nprasongi shells constitute the bulk ofmolluscan food waste in the archae-ological assemblage. The period ofpeak discard rates forN. prasongi isapproximately 13ky cal B.P.,suggesting that the most intensive useof the rockshelter occurred duringthis time. Utilization of this molluskalso indicates that freshwater streamhabitats occurred in proximity to therockshelter during the late-Pleist-ocene and early Holocene. Mudarand Anderson (2007) have suggestedthat during the late-Pleistocene adrier and more open environmentoccurred in the Krabi region, thisperiod was also characterized byincreased monsoon seasonality.During the peak mollusk discardperiod of the late-Pleistocene, a drierand more open environment wouldhave allowed hunter-gatherer groupsto utilize large artiodactyls in thegrassland-savannah habitat, alongsideN prasongi in seasonally abundant

At Lang Rongrien the abundantTestudines elements through timeprovided evidence that a previouslyunidentified record of SoutheastAsian turtle and tortoise exploitationoccurred at the rockshelter (Mudarand Anderson, 2007). This recordalso appears at KTC with thepresence of abundant Testudinesspecimens throughout the late-Pleistocene and Holocene deposits.Although, at archaeological siteslocated near KTC and Lang Rong-rien, this record was not identified.Moh Khiew Cave and Sakai Cave insouthern peninsular Thailand bothhad very low abundances of Testud-ines remains during the late-Pleist-ocene and Holocene (Pookajorn,1996). Generally, Testudines ele-ments were only identified bypresence or absence at these sites.Since Lang Rongrien and KTC bothprovide evidence of turtle andtortoise exploitation, this represents aunique fresh-water stream foragingpattern. It also suggests that fresh-water stream habitats were abundantduring the late-Pleistocene and earlyHolocene, in the Krabi region.Furthermore, previously identifiedshifts in monsoon seasonality, andintensity, during this time suggeststhat precipitation may have increasedduring the early Holocene inPeninsular Thailand, matching the

19Conradef aI., Summary of Vertebrate and Molluscan Assemblages ..

faunal record at KTC (Marwick andGagan, 20 II).

The declining exploitation offreshwaterN. prasongi molluscs intothe Holocene may reflect the shiftfrom freshwater to mangrove swamphabitats in this region or a shift in theforaging dynamics of prehistoricgroups (Shoocongdej, 2000 and2010). Rising sea-levels throughoutthe Holocene would have shiftedmangrove environments closer to therockshelter overtime, which mayhave influenced the abundance anddistribution of locally availableresources and freshwater streamenvironments (Anderson, 1990;HOlten et al., 2005; Tjia, 1996, andSinsakul, 1992). As Barkeret al.(2005) describes, archaeologists inSoutheast Asia have recently tried toidentify how effectively late-Pleistocene hunter-gatherers utilizedtropical rainforest environments.Initial faunal data from KTCdescribes a pattern of hunter-gathergroups utilizing a diverse range oflocally available taxa in the tropicalrainforest environment, suggestingthat hunter-gatherers at KTC wereable to effectively adapt to shifts inlocal environmental conditions.Additionally, radiocarbon datessuggest that once intensive harvestingof N. prasongi ends during themiddle-Holocene, the emergence ofrice agriculture and farming in.mainland Southeast Asia appears(Barker et al., 2005; Castillo, 2011and White et al., 2004). Thus,declines in mollusk utilization mayreflect a pattern of rising sea-levels,shifting environmental conditions,

and occnrrence of agriculture duringthe mid and late-Holocene inpeninsular Thailand.

Our data from KTC not onlysuggests that a subsistence changeoccurred at the Pleistocene-Holocenetransition, but that foragers utilizingthe rockshelter displayed a uniquepattern of faunal exploitation notpreviously seen at archaeologicalsites in Thailand. As Bulbeck (2003)describes, large abundances ofshellfish in rockshelter sites tend todate to the middle-Holocene when atransition towards a broad-spectrumdiet occurs, not during the terminalPleistocene. The earlier peak in themolluscan assemblage at KTCsuggests that a different pattern ofshellfish exploitation OCCUlTedhere,one that we link to localenvironmental conditions. This sug-gests that the diversity of past humansubsistence behaviours in this regionmay have been underestimated andbroader diets may have appearedearlier than previously observed.Khao Toh Chong is a valuablearchaeological and palaeoecologicalresource aiding the understanding ofhunter-gatherer subsistence behav-iours in Southeast Asia during thelate-Pleistocene and Holocene.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Archaeological research at KhaoToh Chong would not have beenpossible without the help andsupport of Rasmi Shoocongdej andthe Fine Arts Department,Bangkok, Thailand. We are sin-cerely grateful for the laboratory

20 The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal 7( I), May 2013

space provided to undertake thisanalysis in the ArchaeologicalDigital Archives Laboratory atSilpakorn University in Bangkok,Thailand. Without mollusk com-pareative collections from theNational Science Museum ofThailand our efforts in thisresearch process would have beenseverely hampered, and we aregrateful to Cholawit Thong-charoenchaikit for providing them.Also, thank you to the 2011 fieldschool participants Seungki Kwak,Jessica Butler, Anna Hopkins,Rachel Vander Houwen, Fitriwati,Kate Lim, Thanh Son, Kim SreangEm, Kyaw Minn Htin, BorisutBoriphon, Praewchompoo Chun-haurai, Chonchanok Samrit andSupalak Mheetong. Additional on-site identification assistance wasprovided by Dr. Prasit Auetrakulvi,Associate Professor of Archaeologyat Silpakorn University, Bangkok,Thailand and Cholawit Thong-charoenchaikit, archaeologist andpaleontologist for the NationalScience Museum of Thailand,Bangkok. Dr. Marwick wassupported by a Luce /ACLS Post-doctoral fellowship (B9471 01180401 7301) and the Universityof Washington Office of GlobalAffairs Herbert H. Gowen Inter-national Studies Endowment forthe initial excavation of, andanalyses for, this archaeologicalsite.

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