Southern Asia, Australia, and the Search for Human Origins

"This is the first book to focus on the role of Southern Asia and Australia in our understanding of modern human origins and the expansion of Homo sapiens between East Africa and Australia before 30,000 years ago. With contributions from leading experts that take into account the latest archaeological evidence from India and Southeast Asia, this volume critically reviews current models of the timing and character of the spread of modern humans out of Africa. It also demonstrates that the evidence from Australasia should receive much wider and more serious consideration in its own right if we want to understand how our species achieved its global distribution. Critically examining the 'Out of Africa' model, this book emphasizes the context and variability of the global evidence in the search for human origins"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Southern Asia, Australia and the Search for Human Origins 3 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 7 Illustrations 9 Tables 11 List of Contributors 13 Chapter 1 The Past and Present of Human Origins in Southern Asia and Australia 19 Introduction 19 Issues and Challenges East of Africa 20 Three Major Debates about Homo Sapiens and the Southern Rim of Asia 22 When Did Homo sapiens First Appear between Africa and Australia? 22 Multi-Regional Evolution or Replacement? 23 How Ancient Is “Modern”? 24 Conclusion 25 Chapter 2 East Asia and Human Evolution From Cradle of Mankind to Cul-De-Sac 26 Introduction 26 The East as Ancient 27 The East as Conservative 28 Helmut de Terra 28 Teilhard de Chardin 30 Hallam Movius 30 G. H. R. von Koenigswald 31 Assessment 32 The East as “Primitive” and “Conservative” 33 Handaxes: Why the Big Deal? 33 Wider Perspectives 34 East and West: The Development of a World View 35 The World View: Near, Middle and Far East 35 Western Perceptions of the Far East 36 Discussion: The Movius Line and the Advent of Homo sapiens 37 Chapter 3 “Rattling the Bones” The Changing Contribution of the Australian Archaeological Record to Ideas about Human Evolution 39 Encountering the “Primitive” 39 Skullology 40 Studies of Australian and Tasmanian Skulls 41 Australia: Fossil and Archaeological Records 43 Fossils at Last 46 Acknowledgments 49 Chapter 4 Smoke and Mirrors The Fossil Record for Homo sapiens between Arabia and Australia 51 Introduction 51 The Fossil Hominin Record from Southern Asia, 250–30 ka 51 The Levant 51 South Asia 52 Sri Lanka 57 Mainland Southeast Asia (Malaysian Peninsula, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam) 57 Thailand 58 Laos 58 Vietnam 59 Island Southeast Asia 60 Ngandong 60 Punung 61 Wadjak 61 Niah Cave 61 The Philippines 61 China 62 Tianyuandong 62 Gaitou Cave, Qilinshan Hill 62 Ganjian Cave, Tubo 62 Tongtianyan Cave, Liujiang 62 Huanglong Cave, Yunxi County 63 Zhirendong, Mulanshan (Mulan Mountain) 63 Longlindong and Maludongdong 64 Australia 64 Discussion 65 The Need for More, and Better, Data 66 Interpretative Frameworks: Where Paradigms Clash 66 Towards the Future 67 Chapter 5 An Arabian Perspective on the Dispersal of Homo sapiens Out of Africa 69 Introduction 69 Models for the Dispersal of Homo sapiens Out of Africa 72 Hominin Fossils 72 Genetics 74 Archaeology 75 Developing an Interdisciplinary Perspective 79 Evaluating the Models 80 Conclusion 81 Acknowledgments 81 Chapter 6 Assessing Models for the Dispersal of Modern Humans to South Asia 82 Introduction 82 Models for Dispersal of Homo sapiens into South Asia 82 The Fossil Hominin Record of South Asia 85 Current Models and the Human Skeletal Record 85 Routes of Dispersal 86 Current Models and the Timing and Routes of Dispersals 87 Genetic Evidence 88 Current Models and Genetic Coalescence Data 89 Archaeological Evidence 90 Current Models and Cultural Transitions 91 Evaluation of Models for Modern Human Dispersals to South Asia 91 Conclusion 93 Acknowledgments 93 Chapter 7 East of Eden Founder Effects and the Archaeological Signature of Modern Human Dispersal 94 Introduction 94 Africa 95 The Levant 97 Arabia 98 South Asia 99 Southeast Asia 103 Australia and Melanesia 103 Diminishing Diversity East of Africa 105 Conclusion 106 Acknowledgments 107 Chapter 8 Missing Links, Cultural Modernity and the Dead Anatomically Modern Humans in the Great Cave of Niah (Sarawak, Borneo) 108 Introduction 108 The Discovery of the Deep Skull 110 The West Mouth Sedimentary Sequence and the Location of the Deep Skull 114 The Sediments within and around the Deep Skull 117 The Niah Deep Skull and Cultural Modernity in Southeast Asia 122 Acknowledgments 124 Chapter 9 Faunal Biogeography in Island Southeast Asia Implications for Early Hominin and Modern Human Dispersals 126 Introduction 126 Faunal Dispersals 127 Island Faunal Sequences and Evolution 128 Early Hominin Dispersals 130 Modern Human Dispersals 132 Austronesian Colonisation of ISEA 132 Japanese Colonisation of ISEA 133 Conclusions 133 Acknowledgments 135 Chapter 10 Late Pleistocene Subsistence Strategies in Island Southeast Asia and Their Implications for Understanding the Development of Modern Human Behaviour 136 Introduction 136 Palaeoenvironment of Late Pleistocene Southeast Asia 137 Foraging Strategies in the Late Pleistocene of Southeast Asia 139 Discussion 150 Acknowledgments 152 Chapter 11 Modern Humans in the Philippines Colonization, Subsistence and New Insights into Behavioural Complexity 153 Introduction 153 Early Human Colonization of the Philippines 155 The Paleoenvironmental Setting of the Callao Hominin 158 Microwear Analysis and Modern Human Behaviour 160 Discussion 164 Acknowledgments 165 Chapter 12 Views from Across the Ocean A Demographic, Social and Symbolic Framework for the Appearance of Modern Human Behaviour 166 Introduction 166 Demographic and Ecological Changes 167 A Social and Symbolic Framework 170 Bonding and Open Social Networks 171 Bounding and Closed Social Networks 173 Beyond Sahul: Views from Across the Ocean 178 Europe 178 Africa 179 Conclusion 180 Chapter 13 Early Modern Humans in Island Southeast Asia and Sahul Adaptive and Creative Societies with Simple Lithic Industries 182 Introduction 182 Historical Views of Tool Use by the First Colonisers of Sahul and Island Southeast Asia 183 Sahul 185 The Southeast Asian Islands 189 Discussion 191 Conclusion 192 Acknowledgments 192 Chapter 14 Tasmanian Archaeology and Reflections on Modern Human Behaviour 193 Introduction 193 Tasmanian Palaeoenvironment 195 Human Skeletal Evidence 197 Chronology 198 Technology 198 Subsistence and Land Use 200 Stencil Art 202 Summary 203 The Neanderthal Case 203 Conclusion 206 Chapter 15 Clothing and Modern Human Behaviour The Challenge from Tasmania 207 Introduction 207 The Importance of Australia 207 The Importance of Tasmania 208 Clothing and Modernity 208 Thermal Physiology and Clothing 208 Simple and Complex Clothing 209 The Invisible Innovation 210 Clothing and Behavioural Modernity 210 Modernity in Pleistocene Australia 211 Modernity in Tasmania 212 Resource Specialization 212 Standardized Lithics 212 Bone Tools 213 The Tasmanian Challenge 213 The Holocene Reversal 214 Tasmania and Europe 214 Adaptive Modernity 214 An Afrocentric Perspective 215 A Eurocentric Perspective 215 Tasmania and the End of Modernity 216 Summary and Conclusions 216 Acknowledgments 216 Chapter 16 Patterns of Modernity Taphonomy, Sampling and the Pleistocene Archaeological Record of Sahul 218 Introduction 218 Previous Interpretations of Sahul 219 The Impact of Taphonomy and Sampling on Sahul’s Record of Pleistocene Complex Cultural Behaviour 220 Pleistocene Sahul as Reminiscent of Middle Palaeolithic Eurasia? 226 Discussion 228 Conclusion 229 Acknowledgments 230 Chapter 17 Late Pleistocene Colonisation and Adaptation in New Guinea Implications for Modelling Modern Human Behaviour 231 Introduction 231 Colonisation of Sahul: Entry from the West 231 Timing the Initial Occupation of New Guinea 232 Speed of Colonisation 236 Nature of Settlement and Subsistence 236 Coastal Adaptations 236 Interior Adaptations 239 Developments after 30,000 Years Ago 242 Summary 244 Acknowledgments 244 Chapter 18 Modern Humans Spread from Aden to the Antipodes With Passengers and When? 246 Introduction 246 Regional Setting 247 Materials and Methods Used in Reviews of Genetic Phylogeography 248 Phylogeography 248 Linearity of Dating 249 Review of Out-of-Africa Models 249 How Many Exits of AMH Ancestors from Africa? The Genetic Evidence 249 Multiregional View versus Recent Replacement 249 Limited Archaic Interbreeding outside Africa 249 Interbreeding with Neanderthals 249 Interbreeding with Denisovans in Oceania 250 Interbreeding with Denisovans in China? 253 Single versus Multiple Recent Exit Models for AMH 254 Which Route? 255 Southern Rather than Northern Exit: Genetic Evidence 255 Climatic Considerations and Archaeology of the Exit Route 255 A Last Interglacial Exit into Southwest Asia? 255 Fossil Evidence in East Asia for an Exit during MIS 5e 256 Summary of Genetic Arguments against a Genetically Successful Exit during MIS 5e 256 Dating Migrations 257 Possible Dates of the Definitive Exit 257 Delayed Migration to the Near East and Europe 257 Dating the arrival of AMH in India and East Asia 257 India and Toba 257 Indian Genetics and Toba 258 Fossils and Genes in East and Southeast Asia 258 Dating Pleistocene Arrivals of Humans in Sahul and Near Oceania 258 Archaeology, Radiocarbon and Luminescence Dating 258 Genetics 259 Conclusions 260 Chapter 19 It’s the Thought that Counts Unpacking the Package of Behaviour of the First People of Australia and Its Adjacent Islands 261 Introduction 261 Historical Questions 262 Theoretical Questions 262 Fundamental Questions 265 Physical Anthropology 265 Stone Tool Studies 266 What Is to Be Explained? 268 Language 269 Material Culture 269 Social Organisation and Ritual 270 Subsistence 270 What Sorts of Explanation Are Possible? 271 Population Ups and Downs 271 Demography and Modern Human Behaviour 272 The Importance of Australia for Understanding Human Evolution 273 Acknowledgments 274 Chapter 20 Essential Questions Modern Humans and the Capacity for Modernity 275 Introduction 275 Historical Legacies 276 Human Revolutions: Open and Disguised 278 Modern Humans and Adaptationist Explanations 280 Conclusion: Absolute or Relative Capacity 281 References 283 Index 337 This is the first book to focus on the role of Southern Asia and Australia in our understanding of modern human origins and the expansion of Homo sapiens between East Africa and Australia before 30,000 years ago. With contributions from leading experts that take into account the latest archaeological evidence from India and Southeast Asia, this volume critically reviews current models of the timing and character of the spread of modern humans out of Africa. It also demonstrates that the evidence from Australasia should receive much wider and more serious consideration in its own right if we want to understand how our species achieved its global distribution. Critically examining the 'Out of Africa' model, this book emphasises the context and variability of the global evidence in the search for human origins.