Following the fish? Using ichthyoarchaeology to study the tempo and geography of human dispersals through Island Southeast Asia

Around 50,000 years ago, Homo sapiens’ dispersal to Australia marked the earliest period of human maritime adaptation. Two models of migration routes through Island Southeast Asia and the Wallacean Archipelago are proposed – a northern one and a southern one. However, the timing and location of these migrations remains disputed. Recent studies demonstrated the presence of populations with a strong maritime culture in southern Wallacea from around 40,000 years ago, while coastal adaptation in the north remains largely unstudied. This research project, hosted at the UCL Institute of Archaeology and in collaboration with UK, Australian and local institutions, aims to understand human reliance in marine environments using samples from recently excavated archaeological sites located on the northern route. Using comparative anatomy, biomolecular techniques such as ZooMS as well as stable isotope analysis, it seeks insights into subsistence strategies and seafaring technologies, establishing a novel framework for understanding our species’ adaptation and dispersal for early seafarers across challenging regions of the planet.