The National Heritage Department has found more than 100 Palaeolithic artefacts estimated to be 17,000 years old in several caves in Gunung Pulai here.

The artefacts include stone tools, fragments of pottery and river snails [Credit: Bernama]

Artefacts in the form of stone tools, fragments of pottery and river snails were found at new excavation sites including Gua Kelambu, Gua Tembus and Gua Akar in the mountain.

National Heritage Department director-general Mesran Mohd Yusop, who is also the Heritage Commissioner, said the artefacts were discovered while his department was conducting explorations in the area between April and October last year.

"The exploration was to carry out documentation and inventory of the site to obtain the latest archaeological data and to identify any possible evidence that has not been discovered by previous researchers.

"The discovery of the artefacts proves the existence of prehistoric life in this area and gives us new clues about the lives of these early inhabitants," he told local reporters.

National Heritage Department Archaeological Division director Ruzairy Arbii n the caves on Gunung Pulai in Baling [Credit: Bernama]

Mesran said excavations and research at the site were also joined by the Institute of the Malay World and Civilization (Atma), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Malaya's (UM) Geology Department.

He said some of the artefacts found were sent to Nanyang Technological University in Singapore for analysis and to determine their age.

According to him, if the artefacts are truly 17,000 years old, it means that the settlement on Gunung Pulai is among the oldest in the country and is older than the Sungai Batu archaeological site in Merbok.

He also explained that the discovery made Gunung Pulai a valuable archaeological site for the country's archaeological data and as a basis for recognising the origins of the ancient community.

Some of the artefacts discovered in the caves on Gunung Pulai in Baling [Credit: Bernama]

"It also has the potential to make the area famous and make Gunung Pulai and its caves a focal point for tourists, researchers and archaeologists," he said.

Meanwhile, the department's Archaeological Division director Ruzairy Arbi said the discovery of stone tools showed that the Palaeolithic community here used rock extensively for hunting and food storage purposes.

However, the discovery of river limpets is considered to be most important as it is evidence of dietary practices of prehistoric peoples there.

"All of these artefacts were found on the ground of the caves and we believe more artefacts are buried and we will be mapping and digging within the next month to find other artefacts," he said.

In the meantime, the department is advising the public to comply with the National Heritage Act 2005 by reporting immediately any historic findings in the Gunung Pulai area to the district officer or Heritage Commissioner.