Chinese archaeologists on Thursday began the excavation of three ancient caves dating back between about 15,000 years and 2,000 years ago in southwest China's Guizhou Province.

The ruins of the caves, first discovered in 2008, are located in Machang Township in Gui'an New Area. They were among China's top 10 archaeological finds of 2016.

The new round of excavation is jointly carried out by the Guizhou Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The previous excavation project, which lasted from 2012 to earlier this year, unearthed a large number of stone and bone tools, pottery shards, ash pits and the ruins of several burial sites dating back around 10,000 years.

Archaeologists said that the caves are of great significance to the study of changes in the environment in southwest China from the late Paleolithic to the Neolithic period and the relationship between mankind and the environment during the period.