60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TABON CAVES ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND OPENING OF THE STORIES OF ORIGINS EXHIBIT

As we come to the close of our celebration of Museum and Galleries Month, we also commemorate the 60th anniversary of archaeological research at the Tabon Cave Complex in Quezon, Palawan. 

The Tabon Cave Complex (or simply Tabon Caves) was discovered by Robert Fox and the National Museum team during their exploration of the limestone formations in the municipality of Quezon. Interviews with the Pala’wan informants led them to explore Lipuun Point, where they discovered several caves rich with archaeological materials scattered on the floor. 

Among these caves is the magnificent Tabon Cave, where the earliest direct evidence of modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens) in the Philippines was recovered. The fossilized skull cap and the tibia (leg bone) fragment were among the remains found in Tabon Cave, which were declared as National Cultural Treasures (or NCTs). Other outstanding artifacts recovered from the Tabon Caves were the Manunggul Secondary Burial Jar, jade lingling-o ornaments, and the Duyong shell adze – all of which were also declared as NCTs.

To mark the commemoration of this landmark exploration, our Archaeology Division, will open an exhibition titled Stories of Origins: The Beginnings of Archaeology at the Tabon Caves at the NMP-Tabon Caves Site Museum in Quezon, Palawan. The Stories of Origins exhibit will take you back to the early stages of the Tabon cave excavations through a series of photographs from the archives of the Archaeology Division, taken from 1962 to 1970. It will also showcase selected archaeological objects recovered from early archaeological investigations conducted. 

The Stories of Origins opens on October 28, 2022.

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Article, photo, and posters by Timothy James Vitales | NMP Archaeology Division

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