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      Robert Fox Fox divides the Philippine prehistoric period into four parts, namely the paleolithic era, the neolithic era,the Metal Age and the Age of Contact and Trade. This last era of Fox's division is disputed by Dr. Dizon, who is of the opinion that prehistory ends where written artifacts begin. While not exactly part of the historical era, Dr. Dizon places the trade era under an intermediary period, which he calls Proto-history. Robert Fox believes that the first men who came to the Philippine archipelago inhabited the islands ever since the Paleolithic era (500,000 year ago). Excavations in the Tabon Caves in Palawan reveal fossils of prehistoric animals-elephants giant tortoises, and others-along with artifacts that leave traces of man's inhabitation of the said caves. Chert and choppers made of hard stone were recovered in the said caves, with man and animal bones scattered in the surroundings. From these fossils, archeologists believe that men occupied the caves from time to time since over a period of 50,000 years. According to Robert Fox, however, the revelation of these artifacts is not enough for one to make a conclusion, as none have been found in an undisturbed archeological context.
       As other similar tools are found in nearby caves, it seems likely, according to Fox, that the ancient man occupied the said area from time to time.
       Mr. Fox explains how they came to the Philippines by their nomadic ways. The ancient men of the paleolithic period were mostly hunters and gatherers. Since food and other resources are exhaustible, they had to look for other places to hunt in or gather food in to survive. Looking at the geographical structure of Palawan, it is not surprising that ancient man passed the place from time to time. Palawan, in the words of Fox, is a natural bridge that connects the Philippine Islands to Borneo. During the ice age when water level of the sea was low, men used it as a land bridge, making the island the "perfect corridor" of the Philippines. Fox believes that later on, after the melting of the ice, men from the south sailed into the archipelago from nearby coasts, depending heavily on the monsoon winds to blow them into either the east or west coast of Palawan.
      Among the tools found in the Tabon caves are chert, made of cryptochrystalline quartz, and river pebbles knapped at one end and used as hammers and choppers that date back to 50,000 to 9,000 years ago. With the exception of some marine shells found in the Guri Cave, a cave also in Palawan, tools similar to those in the Tabon caves have been unearthed, dating to 4,000 years ago. It has been concluded that the change of lifestyle during the Paleolithic period was slow. There has been no dramatic change in tools, ergo the lifestyle of ancient men from 50,000BC to 4,000BC.

  

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