Humans lived in Philippines thousands of years before previously thought –study

Image from the French Museum of Natural History shows an archaeologist at work at the site of an archaeological dig in Kalinga province, where tools and a nearly intact skeleton from a butchered rhinoceros were found. (AFP)

A research published in scientific journal ‘Nature’ revealed the presence of prehistoric humans in the Philippines as early as 709,000 years ago. Researchers found a 75% complete skeleton of a rhinoceros that was clearly butchered and stone tools probably used to carve its meat in Kalinga Province of northern Luzon that established the presence of prehistoric humans in the country.

Prior to this discovery, a single foot bone from 67,000 years ago was uncovered in the Callao Cave in Luzon, the earliest indicator that early humans were on those islands. That’s quite a time jump.