Chapters authored
Island Migration, Resource Use, and Lithic Technology by Anatomically Modern Humans in Wallacea
Island migration and adaptation including both marine and terrestrial resource use and technological development by anatomically modern humans (AMH) are among the most significant issues for Pleistocene archaeology in Southeast Asia and Oceania, and directly related to the behavioral and technological advancements by AMH. This paper discusses such cases in the Wallacean islands, located between the past Sundaland and the Sahul continent during the Pleistocene. The Pleistocene open sea gaps between the Wallacean islands and both landmasses are very likely the major factor for the relative scarcity of animal species originating from Asia and Oceania and the high diversity of endemic species in Wallacea. They were also a barrier for hominin migration into the Wallacean islands and Sahul continent. We summarize three recent excavation results on the Talaud Islands, Sulawesi Island and Mindoro Island in Wallacea region and discuss the evidence and timeline for migrations of early modern humans into the Wallacean islands and their adaptation to island environments during the Pleistocene.
Part of the book: Pleistocene Archaeology
The Pleistocene Maritime Migration of Modern Humans in Northern Wallacea: The Cases of Topogaro in Sulawesi and Bubog in Mindoro
Around 50,000 years ago, early modern humans migrated from Island Southeast Asia and via the Wallacean islands into the continent of Sahul in Oceania by several sea crossings. The Wallacean archipelago can be broadly divided into northern Wallacea comprising the northern Indonesian islands and most of the Philippine islands, except Palawan, and southern Wallacea with the southern Indonesian islands and Timor. This chapter focuses on the cases of early modern human maritime migration and resource use in northern Wallacea during the late Pleistocene. Of the Pleistocene sites in northern Wallacea, two important sites are presented and discussed: the Goa Topogaro cave complex in central Sulawesi, Indonesia, now dated to 42 ka, and the Bubog rock-shelter sites in Mindoro, Philippines, dated to at least 35 ka, based on our excavations. We discuss both localities in their regional context, as well as their role in maritime migration and seafaring in Wallacea and Sahul, and provide a comparison with other cases in the Ryukyu Islands, adjacent to northern Wallacea.
Part of the book: The Prehistory of Human Migration