The best preserved remains of an 11,000 year skeleton in Malaysia is known as Perak man. Located at Lenggong Valley, in Hulu Perak District and a place that is recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Source theStar 16.2.14 Perak man back home in Leggong.
What wasn't mentioned on theStar were the other bronze tools that indicated there is a civilisation more than 5,000 year ago. Peninsular Malaysia is also one of a meteorite impact site over 1.8 million years ago. Caves and tracks around Lenggong valley does not seem to have much articles from local or foreign tourist, though its surrounded by a beautiful landscape.
The cave known as Gua Gunung Runtuh is where Perak man is discovered. A good description of how the body position and condition is written by Marco, 26.5.2016 BBC Travel, Asia's secret World Heritage.
"It contained the 11,000-year-old Perak Man, the region’s best-preserved Stone Age skeleton – and the only one found with a genetic disorder, Brachymesophalangia type A2. The skeleton’s foetal position, surrounded by a cornucopia of objects, suggested to archaeologists that his deformity had elevated him to a well-respected shaman."
This genetic disorder is an abnormal shortness of middle phalanges of index finger or second toes. In a well preserved bones, it should be rather easy to identify. US National Institute of Health describes this as;
"Characteristically, affected individuals have a triangular-shaped middle phalanx in the index fingers and second toes."
Exact location of the cave is not available, but using the following coordinates with map at http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov should provide the vicinity or just google for Lenggong Valley.
5deg 4min 4sec North
100deg 58min 20sec East
Getting there by land:
I don't have the exact route but in general from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, head north towards the state of Perak. Use the North-South Expressway (E1), exit at the Kuala Kangsar Interchange (Exit 143) and from there take Route 76 in the direction of Baling. Baling is in Kedah, but Lenggong is before that.
From the map, it looks like most of the million years old jungle have been cleared for palm oil estates in this part of Perak state. As I said, there isn't an exact coordinate of the cave but its just the indicator from UNESCO's website. One can imagine that tree logs harvested in these area would have fetched a large sum, considering its age.
Looks like there this finding from peninsula Malaysia is just a beginning if there are efforts to dwell deeper. What else will they uncover in the future, especially along the waters of Lenggong Valley that connect to findings in Indonesia and Thailand. It will shape the future of who are the original natives of Malaysia and the secrets that they bring.
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| Lenggong Valley indicated by right square. Source from unesco.org |
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| Source from unesco.org |
What wasn't mentioned on theStar were the other bronze tools that indicated there is a civilisation more than 5,000 year ago. Peninsular Malaysia is also one of a meteorite impact site over 1.8 million years ago. Caves and tracks around Lenggong valley does not seem to have much articles from local or foreign tourist, though its surrounded by a beautiful landscape.
The cave known as Gua Gunung Runtuh is where Perak man is discovered. A good description of how the body position and condition is written by Marco, 26.5.2016 BBC Travel, Asia's secret World Heritage.
"It contained the 11,000-year-old Perak Man, the region’s best-preserved Stone Age skeleton – and the only one found with a genetic disorder, Brachymesophalangia type A2. The skeleton’s foetal position, surrounded by a cornucopia of objects, suggested to archaeologists that his deformity had elevated him to a well-respected shaman."
This genetic disorder is an abnormal shortness of middle phalanges of index finger or second toes. In a well preserved bones, it should be rather easy to identify. US National Institute of Health describes this as;
"Characteristically, affected individuals have a triangular-shaped middle phalanx in the index fingers and second toes."
Exact location of the cave is not available, but using the following coordinates with map at http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov should provide the vicinity or just google for Lenggong Valley.
5deg 4min 4sec North
100deg 58min 20sec East
Getting there by land:
I don't have the exact route but in general from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, head north towards the state of Perak. Use the North-South Expressway (E1), exit at the Kuala Kangsar Interchange (Exit 143) and from there take Route 76 in the direction of Baling. Baling is in Kedah, but Lenggong is before that.
From the map, it looks like most of the million years old jungle have been cleared for palm oil estates in this part of Perak state. As I said, there isn't an exact coordinate of the cave but its just the indicator from UNESCO's website. One can imagine that tree logs harvested in these area would have fetched a large sum, considering its age.
Looks like there this finding from peninsula Malaysia is just a beginning if there are efforts to dwell deeper. What else will they uncover in the future, especially along the waters of Lenggong Valley that connect to findings in Indonesia and Thailand. It will shape the future of who are the original natives of Malaysia and the secrets that they bring.
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