The
Lal-lo
Lal-lo, officially the Municipality of Lal-Lo ( ibg, Ili nat Lal-lo; ilo, Ili ti Lal-lo; tl, Bayan ng Lal-lo), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 48,733 peop ...
and
Gattaran
Gattaran, officially the Municipality of Gattaran ( ibg, Ili nat Gattaran; ilo, Ili ti Gattaran; tl, Bayan ng Gattaran), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 5 ...
Shell Middens are one of the most significant archaeological gastronomic finds in
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
in the 20th century. The site is located along the banks of the
Cagayan River
The Cagayan River, also known as the Río Grande de Cagayán, is the longest river and the largest river by discharge volume of water in the Philippines. It has a total length of approximately and a drainage basin covering . It is located in t ...
in the province of
Cagayan
Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region, covering ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. The site, as old as 2000 BC, is highly important due to its archaeological impact on the food resources and human activities of the ancient peoples of the Cagayan Valley. It is currently under consideration as a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.
Description
Roughly 500 km northeast of
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
, various shell middens can be found that consist of shells of the predominant species ''Batissa childreni, ''a freshwater clam, in highest abundance.
[Neolithic Shell Midden Sites in Lal-lo and Gattaran Municipalities - UNESCO World Heritage Centre](_blank)
/ref> The middens are of various sizes and ages with the oldest being carbon dated
Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon.
The method was dev ...
to 2000 BC and youngest to 100 AD.Cagayan River
The Cagayan River, also known as the Río Grande de Cagayán, is the longest river and the largest river by discharge volume of water in the Philippines. It has a total length of approximately and a drainage basin covering . It is located in t ...
. The largest deposits of shells can be found in Magapit and Bangag in Lal-lo while the thickest shell midden is more than six feet.
Near many of the middens have been found stone implements, bones, teeth, and intricately designed pottery
Declaration
This site was added to the UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
Tentative List on May 16, 2006 in the Cultural category.
See also
* Magapit Protected Landscape
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lal-Lo And Gattaran Shell Middens
Archaeological sites in the Philippines
Shell middens
History of Cagayan
Tourist attractions in Cagayan
World Heritage Tentative List for the Philippines