Human dispersal and plant processing in the Pacific 55 000–50 000 years ago
The dynamics of our species’ dispersal into the Pacific remains intensely debated. The authors present archaeological investigations in the Raja Ampat Islands, north-west of New Guinea, that provide the earliest known evidence for humans arriving in the Pacific more than 55 000–50 000 years ago. Seafaring simulations demonstrate that a northern equatorial route into New Guinea via the Raja Ampat Islands was a viable dispersal corridor to Sahul at this time. Analysis of faunal remains and a resin artefact further indicates that exploitation of both rainforest and marine resources, rather than a purely maritime specialisation, was important for the adaptive success of Pacific peoples.
Authors
- Hermine Xhauflair (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7148-3164)
- Denis Scholz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0055-8915)
- Álvaro Montenegro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6848-1996)
- Rintaro Ono (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0431-2007)
- Annette Oertle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9697-2725)
- Zubair Mas’ud (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8956-5806)
- Mary Lucas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6394-0345)
- S. Anna Florin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6229-900X)
- Megan Spitzer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8878-2443)
- Erika Ribechini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4978-2782)
- Patrick Roberts (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4403-7548)
- Tristan Russell
- Simon Haberle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5802-6535)
- Dylan Gaffney (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4869-9730)
- Katherine Szabó (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9542-6535)
- Monica Tromp (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0747-9099)
- Irene Bertelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2057-1540)
- Erlin Novita Idje Djami (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7330-721X)
- Clara Boulanger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5358-6477)
- Thomas Higham (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5949-598X)
- Daud Aris Tanudirjo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3002-4161)
- Fiona Petchey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3308-9983)
- Robert Hall (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1693-6914)
- Karen Greig (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9566-9983)
- Fiona Bradshaw (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9690-2484)
- Abdul Razak Macap
- Moses Dailom
- Yulio Ray
Institutions
- Smithsonian Institution (US)
- University of the Philippines System (PH)
- University of Pisa (IT)
- Australian National University (AU)
- University of Vienna (AT)
- Universitas Gadjah Mada (ID)
- Royal Holloway University of London (GB)
- Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE)
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JP)
- Constructing Excellence (GB)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Histoire Naturelle des Humanités Préhistoriques (FR)
- National Museum of Ethnology (JP)
- Oxford Archaeology (GB)
- Pusat Penelitian Arkeologi Nasional (ID)
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (DE)
- National Research and Innovation Agency (ID)
- Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
- University of Waikato (NZ)
- The Ohio State University (US)
- University of Otago (NZ)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Antiquity
- Published
- 2024-08-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2024.83
- Citations
- 54
- Primary Topic
- Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 105.64
Funders
- Leakey Foundation
- National Geographic Society
- Quaternary Research Association
- Royal Anthropological Institute
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
- Natural Environment Research Council
- Magdalene College, University of Cambridge