The ‘human revolution’ in lowland tropical Southeast Asia: the antiquity and behavior of anatomically modern humans at Niah Cave (Sarawak, Borneo)

Barker, Graeme; Barton, Huw; Bird, Michael I.; Daly, Patrick; Datan, Ipoi; Dykes, Alan P.; Farr, Lucy; Gilbertson, D. D.; Harrisson, Barbara; Hunt, Chris; Higham, Thomas; Kealhofer, Lisa; Krigbaum, John; Lewis, Helen; McLaren, Sue; Paz, Victor; Pike, Alistair; Piper, Philip J.; Pyatt, Brian; Rabett, Ryan; Reynolds, Tim; Rose, Jim; Rushworth, Garry; Stephens, Mark; Stringer, Chris; Thompson, Jill; Turney, Chris S. M.

doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2006.08.011

Cited by 386 publications

(249 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…There is now clear evidence for the use of tropical forests by our species in Borneo [12][13]34 and Melanesia 35 by c. 45 ka; in South Asia by c. 36 ka 36 ; and in South America by c. 13 ka 37 . There are suggestions of earlier rainforest occupation c. 125 ka in Java [38][39] , c. 60 ka in the Philippines 40 , c. 100 ka in China 41 , and in Africa perhaps from the first appearance of Homo sapiens c. 200 ka 42 , though further research is required to verify these cases 43 .…”

Section: Early Impactsmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…[8][9][10][11] ), and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction (e.g. [12][13] ), have increasingly demonstrated tropical forests to be dynamic 'artefacts' of millennia of human-forest interaction [14][15] . Attempts to investigate the relationship between, on the one hand, prehistoric fire regime alteration, cultivation 16 , extensive sedentary settlement, and enduring landscape modification [17][18] , and, on the other, sustainable past subsistence, water-use, and intensive human occupation, have so far been limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The deep human prehistory of global tropical forests and its relevance for modern conservation

et al. 2017

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Abstract/first paragraphSignificant human impacts on tropical forests have been considered the preserve of recent societies, linked to large-scale deforestation, extensive and intensive agriculture, resource mining, livestock grazing, and urban settlement. Cumulative archaeological evidence now demonstrates, however, that Homo sapiens has actively manipulated tropical forest ecologies for at least 45,000 years. It is clear that these millennia of impacts need to be taken into account when studying and conserving tropical forest ecosystems today. Nevertheless, archaeology has so far provided only limited practical insight into contemporary human-tropical forest interactions. Here, we review significant archaeological evidence for the impacts of past hunter-gatherers, agriculturalists, and urban settlements on global tropical forests. We compare the challenges faced, as well as the solutions adopted, by these groups with those confronting present-day societies, which also rely on tropical forests for a variety of ecosystem services. We emphasise archaeology's importance not only in promoting natural and cultural heritage in tropical forests, but also in taking an active role to inform modern conservation and policy-making.

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Section: Early Impactsmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The deep human prehistory of global tropical forests and its relevance for modern conservation

et al. 2017

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“…Jerimalai, are in choices of raw materials, which appear to be constrained by the 543 unique details of the local availability of stone at each site (Mijares, 2014). Sample 544 size is prohibitively small for Niah Cave in Borneo; however Barker et al (2007)observe that the assemblage is consistent with mobile foragers using nonselective 546 hunting technologies. On Sulawesi, Glover (1981) noted continuity in stone artefact 547 technology at Leang Burung 2 over the last 30,000 years.…”

mentioning

confidence: 93%

Early modern human lithic technology from Jerimalai, East Timor

Marwick

Clarkson

O’Connor

et al. 2016

Journal of Human Evolution

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Jerimalai is a rock shelter in East Timor with cultural remains dated to 42,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest known sites of modern human activity in island Southeast Asia. It has special global significance for its record of early pelagic fishing and ancient shell fish hooks. It is also of regional significance for its early occupation and comparatively large assemblage of Pleistocene stone artefacts. Three major findings arise from our study of the stone artefacts. First, there is little change in lithic technology over the 42,000 year sequence, with the most noticeable change being the addition of new artefact types and raw materials in the midHolocene. Second, the assemblage is dominated by small chert cores and implements rather than pebble tools and choppers, a pattern we argue pattern, we argue, that is common in island SE Asian sites as opposed to mainland SE Asian sites. Third, the Jerimalai assemblage bears a striking resemblance to the assemblage from Liang Bua, argued by the Liang Bua excavation team to be associated with Homo floresiensis. We argue that the near proximity of these two islands along the Indonesian island chain (c.100 km apart), the long antiquity of modern human occupation in the region (as documented at Jerimalai), and the strong resemblance of distinctive flake stone technologies seen at both sites, raises the intriguing possibility that both the Liang Bua and Jerimalai assemblages were created by modern humans. Jerimalai is a rock shelter in East Timor with cultural remains dated to 42,000 years 26 ago, making it one of the oldest known sites of modern human activity in island 27 Southeast Asia. It has special global significance for its record of early pelagic fishing 28 and ancient shell fish hooks. It is also of regional significance for its early occupation 29and comparatively large assemblage of Pleistocene stone artefacts. Three major 30 findings arise from our study of the stone artefacts. First, there is little change in lithic 31 technology over the 42,000 year sequence, with the most noticeable change being the 32 addition of new artefact types and raw materials in the mid-Holocene. Second, the 33 assemblage is dominated by small chert cores and implements rather than pebble tools 34 and choppers, a pattern we argue is common in island SE Asian sites as opposed to 35 mainland SE Asian sites. Third, the Jerimalai assemblage bears a striking resemblance 36 to the assemblage from Liang Bua, argued by the Liang Bua excavation team to be 37 associated with Homo floresiensis. We argue that the near proximity of these two 38 islands along the Indonesian Island chain (c.100km apart), the long antiquity of 39 modern human occupation in the region (as documented at Jerimalai), and the strong 40 resemblance of distinctive flake stone technologies seen at both sites, raises the 41 intriguing possibility that both the Liang Bua and Jerimalai assemblages were created 42 by modern humans. 43 44

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“…14 Genome-wide SNPs also showed an ancient association between the Mamanwa FEN group and groups from Australia and New Guinea. 9,10 Overall, FE group mtDNA genetic affinities illustrate a Filipino genetic history that extends from the initial colonization of the Asia-Pacific region, 37 to the initial colonization of the Philippines, with possibly a separate postcolonization migration into the Philippine archipelago, 2 up to the time of the Austronesian expansion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…However; compared with M52'58 and M52a, the observed timeline for the Mamanwa-South Asia mtDNA link overlaps with the initial settlement of the Philippines 2 and the Asia-Pacific region. 37 Haplogroup P was observed in the AetaB FEN group and P sublineages in the Maranao and the Bugkalot (Figure 1, Table 2 Other haplogroups Haplogroups B4b1a and B5b1c are of appreciable frequency (4 5%) in FE groups (Table 3). However, population comparison was limited to FE groups and Japan because Japan was the only population-based and geographically defined group in the reference data set that possessed B4b1 and B5b1 lineages.…”

Section: Analyses Of Specific Mtdna Lineagesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Complete mtDNA genomes of Filipino ethnolinguistic groups: a melting pot of recent and ancient lineages in the Asia-Pacific region

Delfin

et al. 2013

Eur J Hum Genet

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The ‘human revolution’ in lowland tropical Southeast Asia: the antiquity and behavior of anatomically modern humans at Niah Cave (Sarawak, Borneo)

Cited by 386 publications

References 57 publications

The deep human prehistory of global tropical forests and its relevance for modern conservation

The deep human prehistory of global tropical forests and its relevance for modern conservation

Early modern human lithic technology from Jerimalai, East Timor

Complete mtDNA genomes of Filipino ethnolinguistic groups: a melting pot of recent and ancient lineages in the Asia-Pacific region

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