TAPAK PALEOLITIK BUKIT BUNUH, LENGGONG, PERAK: ISU DAN MASALAH DALAM PENTARIKHAN.

Bukit Bunuh was discovered through a special project for mapping the new archaeological and paleoenvironmental sites around the Lenggong area in 2001. Bukit Bunuh is an open Paleolithic site with 3 km2 . Dating at Bukit Bunuh involves two main studies which are archeology and geology. This dating is done using chronometric methods such as OSL, FT, ESR, K-Ar, U-Pb and 40Ar)39Ar. OSL dating was done in an archaeological study at Bukit Bunuh which gave an age of 490,000-500,000; 270,000-320,000; 40,000 dan 30,000 years ago. This dating technique was performed on the in-situ cultural layer in the excavation trench that took place in 2001, 2003, 2008 and 2010. However, according to studies the age range for the OSL dating technique is around 450,000 years ago. Dating for geological studies has been done on the impact rocks in Bukit Bunuh to determine the age of the meteorite impact that has occurred in the area. Dating via the FT method of stone tools in suevite rocks gives a date of about 1.83 million years ago. However, some other methods used such as ESR, K-Ar, U-Pb and 40Ar)39Ar have given a different age and much older which is around ~ 305 to 1.34 million years ago which shows the age of bedrock in the study area such as Triassic Granite rock. Yet the findings of stone tools in the suevit have suggested that the age of the meteorite impact that occurred at Bukit Bunuh is unlikely to be older than the Quaternary period. Therefore, this paper will examine the issues and problems that occur in the study of dating, especially for the effective age range of the dating technique used in addition to the constraints faced by the dating technique. The successful dating will fill the age gap and contribute to the prehistoric chronology of the Bukit Bunuh Paleolithic Complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]