The gallery presents information on the origins of the Philippine Islands and the Filipino nation. The exhibition focuses on the four periods of Philippine pre-history: Paleolithic, Neolithic, Metal, and Ceramic Age.
The Philippine archipelago was formed about 70 million years ago, the result of millions of years of volcanic and tectonic activities. This came in the form of stone tools and fossils of large migrating animals such as elephants, stegodons, rhinoceros, and giant turtles found in Palawan and Cagayan Valley.
From archaeological sites now began appearing polished stone tools primarily blade-like tools, stone adze, shell adze and red-slipped pottery. The earliest metals to appear were gold, copper, and bronze, in the form of ornamental beads and tools like adzes and spearheads. This period is known not only for the appearance of metals but also as the Golden Age of Pottery.
A new change took place in the Philippines about 1000 A.D. From the archaeological sites, the age is distinguished by the appearance of high-fired ceramics.
– National Museum of the Philippines
