Niah Cave and the Deep Human History of Borneo

Record summary

Niah Cave was a major reference point for Southeast Asian prehistory, with human remains, shell, charcoal, stone artefacts, and occupation deposits spanning late Pleistocene and Holocene periods. Research in the 1970s and 1980s revisited the sequence established by Tom and Barbara Harrisson and debated chronology, cultural continuity, mortuary behavior, and the interpretation of cave deposits. The site is valuable for comparison with migration models and coastal adaptations, but its complex stratigraphy and early collection practices make associations among dates, burials, and artefacts difficult to resolve.