Prehistoric tomb unearthed in Hainan offers glimpse into early human life

Archaeologists in southern China have uncovered what is believed to be the oldest tomb ever found on Hainan Island, dating back between 12,000 and 13,000 years.

The discovery, announced by the Hainan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology, reveals a prehistoric burial site belonging to a child interred on their side with bent limbs, Caliber.Az reports, citing Chinese media.

Shell ornaments placed near the head and waist are thought to be the earliest of their kind in China, shedding new light on ancient burial traditions and cultural links with Southeast Asia.

The tomb was found at the Luobi Cave site in Sanya’s Jiyang District — a location already known for its wealth of prehistoric artefacts since its discovery in 1983. Excavations there have previously yielded human fossils, stone tools, bone implements, and animal remains, offering key evidence of early human activity in southern China.

Researchers from Peking University and the Sanya Museum joined the excavation, with carbon-14 and uranium dating methods used to determine the tomb’s age.

Gao Xing, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the find was crucial to understanding prehistoric human activity on Hainan and the island’s role in early cultural exchanges with neighbouring regions.

“These discoveries help reconstruct the island’s prehistoric cultural sequence and illuminate connections between South China, Southeast Asia and beyond,” he noted.

By Aghakazim Guliyev