Maitum, Sarangani, Philippine - Ancient secondary burial jars where found in a mountainside cavity that was accidentally uncovered by quarry workers on April 5. The cave lies on the same mountain in Barangay Pinol here.
An operator of a bulldozer accidentally tumbled upon what possibly could be a repository of ancient skeletal remains that may date back to pre-historic times.
Earthen jars and broken bones were recovered from the site, located in the village of Pinol, some 17 kilometers away from the Maitum town hall.
Sarangani is approximately 1,200 kilometers south of Manila.
Maitum Mayor Elsie Perrett immediately ordered the site sealed off to prevent looting and contamination of the area.
She also requested experts from the National Museum to inspect the site and conduct a study of the historical significance of the find.
The quarry site is half a kilometer away from Ayob Cave. The archaeological find at Ayob Cave consisted of anthropomorphic burial jars that date back nearly 2000 years ago. The anthropomorphic potteries of human figures depicting various facial expressions are associated to the Metal Age in the Philippines.
When Lingling Jabel, owner of the two-hectare land including the quarry site, came to know of the cave, he immediately entered the cave and found potsherds similar to those found in Ayob Cave.
Jabel, 36, immediately linked the new find to the ancient burial jars excavated in 1991 near his farm in this coastal village.
Jabel was one of those who helped the National Museum team of Dr. Eusebio Dizon in the excavation of Ayob Cave.
Dizon, Curator 1 of the Archaeology Division and Head of the Underwater Archaeology Section of the National Museum, has described Ayob Cave as "the most significant cave in Mindanao" and its finds as "unparalleled in Southeast Asia."
Jabel, knowing that these newly found jars are of much value, immediately informed Barangay Captain Lamia Mala, who informed the mayor right away.
"I feel happy that we‘ve found more valuable artifacts that would help us understand more our history as a people not only in the Philippines but probably in the whole Southeast Asia," Perrett said.
The mayor has ordered Mala to secure the cave and have the opening sealed while waiting for the arrival of a team from the National Museum.
The cave opening is about 7 feet high from ground level, with opening of more or less 2 1/2 feet.
From the cave opening, the main chamber is some 25 to 30 feet wide, with a pocket of about 15 feet towards the west, another pocket northwest, and a deeper pocket on the east.
The cave has an approximate height of 7 feet with unstable ceiling and this is more apparent on the entrance. There was no presence of stalactite or stalagmite. The cave material is loose limestone, with a pool of water on the eastern side.
There are signs that the cave is disturbed. Outside the cave on its right side is a rice field.
"Most probably there is a connection to Pinol (Ayob) Cave. The best that you could do is to take pictures, inventory the jars found inside the cave, secure the place and wait for our visit," said Professor Rey Santiago in a text message.
Santiago was the partner of Dr. Dizon in the excavation of Ayob Cave.
Ayob Cave‘s "Maitum Jars," as they are referred to now, bore radiocarbon dates of "1930 plus or minus 50 BP (calibrated date of 5 BC to AD 225) and 1830 plus or minus 60 BP (calibrated date of AD 70 to 370)."
They are unique in that "they are like portraits of distinct individuals, of specific dead persons whose remains they guard," Dizon and Santiago said in their book, "Faces from Maitum."
In another text message, Santiago said: "Keep the site secured from looters and treasure hunters. Don‘t let people enter the cave and destroy or even move or pick any materials from surface or below. You can only photograph the present condition of the site for documentation. We need to preserve the site."
Sarangani Governor Miguel Rene Dominguez said he is excited about the new find.
"I have given orders to secure the area. We do not want to have a repeat of Pinol cave where vandals and looters desecrated the area," Dominguez said in an interview.
This time, he added, the local government will make sure the new find will be preserved and protected.
"These finds, if proven to be pre-historic, will be our legacy to the Filipino people," he added.
In 1991, similar artifacts were found less than a kilometer away from where bulldozer operator Eriberto Ayson accidentally scraped a portion of a quarry hill less than a kilometer from the highway.
Looting, however, left the Pinol cave in utter disarray and neglect.
But experts from the National Museum were able to recover substantial number of ancient items, some of them still intact. These are now deposited in the museum.
Jabel, who owns the land adjacent to the hill, was able to recover a jar with a shape of a human head. The head was, however, already broken and its bottom already missing.
Also found were broken sections of what appeared to be a human skeleton. A large broken clay jar was also shown to reporters Wednesday morning. A bowl with intricate design at its base was likewise among those recovered from the site.
Mayor Perrett said all artifacts found in the site should be declared national treasures and told residents in the area that these would be subjected to carbon dating to establish their age.
Source: www.sunstar.com (15 April 2008)
