Early occupation at Ille Cave, New Ibajay, El Nido, Palawan, Philippines: Report on the 2005 excavation season

Excavations were carried out at the East and West Mouths of the rockshelter at Ille Cave, New Ibajay, Palawan, a site comprising a later prehistoric/palaeohistoric cemetery overlying a midden of shell and animal bones, and lower levels with Palaeolithic occupation materials. The 2005 project extend ed the previously investigated trenches (Szabó et al. 2004; Paz & Ronquill o 2004; Paz 2004), with the aims of: 1) exploring the extent and nature of the later prehistoric cemetery and underlying shell midden horizons , 2) exposing deep burning deposits discovered during 2004 recording of a looter’s pit, and 3) collecting further samples for dating and palaeoenvironmental analyses from all horizons to characterise use of the cave and the nature of the surrounding landscape from historic times back into the earl y Holocene. Additional test trenches were investigated to the south of t he cave platform and within the East Mouth chamber, to explor e platform history and a gradient exposed in rock shelter deposits during the 2004 excavations. The East Mouth chamber trench also provided an ‘in - cave’ setting, which was anticipated to reveal d ifferent remains and/or preservation environments to the rock shelter are