Incorporating research findings over the last twenty years, First Islanders examines the human prehistory of Island Southeast Asia. This fascinating story is explored from a broad swathe of multidisciplinary perspectives and pays close attention to migration in the period dating from 1.5 million years ago to the development of Indic kingdoms late in the first millennium CE.
Table of Contents:
Contents vii
List of Figures and Plates xii
Invited Contributors xv
Acknowledgments xvi
1 Introducing First Islanders 1
This Book 3
A Note on Dating Terminology 7
A Note on Archaeological Terminology 7
Pronunciation and Place]names 9
Notes 9
References 10
2 Island Southeast Asia as a Canvas for Human Migration 11
The Shelves and Basins 12
Sundaland 15
Wallacea 15
Sahul 16
The Island Southeast Asian Environment 16
Climate 16
Landforms and Soils 18
The Floras of Island Southeast Asia 20
Faunal and Biogeographical Boundaries 21
The Cyclical Changes of the Pleistocene 22
The Pleistocene Epoch: Definition and Chronology 22
The Cycles of Glacials and Interglacials 23
World Sea Level Changes During the Pleistocene 23
The Consequences of Mid]latitude Glaciation 27
Notes 30
References 30
3 Homo erectus and Homo floresiensis: Archaic Hominins in Island Southeast Asia 34
Hominin Antecedents in Africa and Asia 35
Homo erectus in Java 38
Java – Pleistocene Mammals and Stratigraphy 39
Sangiran 41
Ngandong 43
When Did Hominins Arrive in Java? 44
The Evolution of Javan Homo erectus 46
An Invited Perspective by Colin Groves 46
The Dating of the Javan Hominins 47
The Homo erectus Cranium 49
The Homo erectus Mandible 50
Homo erectus Teeth 50
Homo erectus Postcranial Material 51
Evolution within Javan Homo erectus 52
The Philippines, Sulawesi, and Nusa Tenggara: Pleistocene Mammals
and Stratigraphy 53
The Philippines 54
Sulawesi 54
Flores and Nusa Tenggara 55
Homo floresiensis (and Homo erectus?) in Flores 58
The Enigma of Homo floresiensis 60
An Invited Perspective by Debbie Argue 60
The Homo floresiensis Controversy 62
Was Homo floresiensis a Dwarfed Homo erectus? 64
Was Homo floresiensis Descended from a Separate
Early Hominin Lineage? 64
Cultural Evidence Related to Homo erectus and Homo floresiensis 65
Java and the Tools of Homo erectus 67
Flores and the Tools of Homo floresiensis 71
Retrospect 74
Notes 75
References 76
4 The Biological History of Homo sapiens in Island Southeast Asia 86
The First Homo sapiens in Southeast Asia 89
Early to Middle Holocene Skeletal Data from Island Southeast Asia 93
The Biological Arrival of an Asian Neolithic Population in Island
Southeast Asia 94
The Significance of Skin Pigmentation in Equatorial Latitudes 97
The Biological History of Southeast Asian Populations from
Late Pleistocene and Holocene Cemetery Data 98
An Invited Perspective by Hirofumi Matsumura, Marc Oxenham,
Truman Simanjuntak, and Mariko Yamagata 98
Craniometric Analysis 99
Early Indigenous Hunter]gatherers 99
Neolithic Dispersal in Mainland Southeast Asia 103
Neolithic Dispersal in Island Southeast Asia 104
Conclusions 106
The Genetic History of Human Populations in Island Southeast
Asia During the Late Pleistocene and Holocene 107
An Invited Perspective by Murray Cox 107
The Population History of Island Southeast Asia 117
Notes 119
References 120
5 Late Paleolithic Archaeology in Island Southeast Asia 131
Mainland Southeast Asia, Peninsular Malaysia, and Sumatra: The Hoabinhian and Its Successors 134
Hoabinhian into Para]Neolithic in Mainland Southeast Asia 134
The Hoabinhian of Sumatra 138
Beyond Sumatra – the Late Palaeolithic in the Islands of Southeast Asia 139
The Niah Caves, Sarawak 141
Eastern Sabah 143
Eastern and Central Kalimantan 147
Java 150
The Philippines 151
Sulawesi and the Talaud Islands 153
The Toalian of South Sulawesi – a Localized Revolution in Small Tool Technology 155
The Northern Moluccas 159
Eastern Nusa Tenggara and Timor]Leste 162
Changing Patterns in Hunting Across Island Southeast Asia Before the Neolithic 165
An Invited Perspective by Philip J. Piper 165
The Late Pleistocene (45–14 kya) 165
Terminal Pleistocene to Mid]Holocene (14–4.5 kya) 167
Some Final Thoughts on Homo sapiens and the Late Palaeolithic in Island Southeast Asia 170
Notes 171
References 172
6 The Early History of the Austronesian Language Family in Island Southeast Asia 181
What is a Language Family, and Why are Language Families Important? 185
An Introduction to Austronesian Linguistic History 187
The Linguistic History of Austronesian]speaking Communitiesin Island Southeast Asia 190
An Invited Perspective by Robert Blust 190
Further Questions of Austronesian Linguistic History 197
Before Taiwan: The Antecedents of Proto]Austronesian 197
How Did the Austronesian Languages Spread Initially throughout
Island Southeast Asia? 200
Directionality and Relative Chronology in the Early Austronesian Migration Process 201
The Material Culture and Economy of the Early Austronesians 204
The Austronesian Diaspora: A Perspective from Indonesia 207
An Invited Perspective by Daud Aris Tanudirjo 207
A Brief History of Austronesian Studies in Indonesia 208
Austronesian Languages and National Identity 210
Notes 211
References 212
7 Neolithic Farmers and Sailors in Southern China, Taiwan, and the Philippines 218
The Origins of Rice Production in China 220
The Evolution of Neolithic Societies in China 226
Neolithic Movement into Southern China 228
The Out of Taiwan Hypothesis for Austronesian
Dispersal into Island Southeast Asia 231
Neolithic Cultures in Southeast China, Taiwan, and Luzon 232
An Invited Perspective by Hsiao]chun Hung 232
Taiwan 234
Between Taiwan and Luzon 236
Ludao and Lanyu (Botel Tobago) 237
The Batanes Islands 237
Northern Luzon 239
Coastal Palaeo]landscapes of the Neolithic 240
An Invited Perspective by Mike T. Carson 240
Further Observations on Neolithic Cultures in Taiwan 244
The Neolithic of the Philippines 248
The Batanes Islands 250
The Cagayan Valley of Luzon 253
The Philippines beyond Cagayan 255
Southern China, Taiwan, and the Philippines – a Neolithic Assessment 256
Notes 257
References 259
8 The Neolithic of East Malaysia and Indonesia 267
The Western Neolithic Stream – Sarawak and Onwards 269
Java and Sumatra 274
The Eastern Neolithic Stream: Eastern Borneo, Sulawesi, and the Moluccas 276
Sabah: Bukit Tengkorak 281
Sulawesi 283
Fleshing Out the Neolithic Prehistory of Island Southeast Asia 287
Neolithic Food Production 288
Potential Phases of Neolithic Crop Production in Island Southeast Asia 289
Rice in Island Southeast Asian Prehistory, and Its Fading from Grace 293
Farmers Who Adopted Rainforest Hunting and Gathering 294
Domesticated Animals in the Island Southeast Asian Neolithic 297
An Invited Perspective by Philip J. Piper 297
Pigs and Dogs 297
Chickens 299
Bovidae 300
Domestic Animals in Cultural Context 300
Neolithic Fishing 301
Neolithic Translocations 301
Summing Up the Island Southeast Asian Neolithic 302
Notes 303
References 304
9 The Early Metal Age and Intercultural Connections in Island Southeast Asia 312
The Arrival of Metallurgy in Island Southeast Asia 314
“Indigenous” Early Metal Age Assemblages and Monuments in Island
Southeast Asia 320
Stone Monuments and Carvings: Indonesia 320
Malayic Migration 324
Burial Grounds and Their Significance 326
Chamic Migration 329
Nephrite and Other Early Metal Age Exchange Networks across
the South China Sea 333
An Invited Perspective by Hsiao]chun Hung 333
The Arrival of Indian Influence in Island Southeast Asia 335
After the Early Metal Age 338
Notes 338
References 339
10 Island Southeast Asian Prehistory: A Comparative Perspective 345
References 351
Index 352
