New discoveries from sites in the Philippines, Indonesia and Timor-Leste challenge the notion that technological progress during the Paleolithic era was exclusive to Europe and Africa.
Many of the earliest and well-studied paleolithic sites were located in Europe and Africa. This has led to a concentration of research and the notion that these regions are the main centers of innovation.
Upcoming study in Archeological science: Reports (April 2025) by Ateneo de Manila University researchers, Ricard Fuentes and Alfred Paulik, challenged the prevailing faith and suggests that early sailors have a level of technological sophistication comparable to much later civilizations.
The study is based on mysterious archaeological evidence that indicate the early habitation of man in ISEA, although the greater part of it is never associated with continental Asia by land bridges or ice sheets.
These evidence raises the question: How do these ancient people manage such difficult ocean transitions, since fiber -based materials used for boats rarely survive from archaeological records?
The new study deals with this issue and shows that the ancient sailors in the Philippines and Iseia have built complex boats and have mastered fishing on the deep sea 40,000 years ago.
Sophisticated marine and deep -water fishing
The microscopic analysis of stone instruments from these places reveals traces of the processing of the fiber extraction necessary for the ropes, nets and connections, essential for the construction of boats and fishing outdoors. Some of these instruments date 40,000 years ago,
Excavations from objects in Mindoro and Timor-Leste also revealed the remains of deep ocean fish such as tuna and sharks, along with fishing instruments such as hooks, net weights and gorges.
Researchers said: “The remains of large predatory pelagic fish in these sites show the ability to advance maritime threats and knowledge of seasonality and migration pathways of these fish.”
They added that the discovery of fishing tools showed the need for a strong and well -crafted roping cord and fishing lines to catch a sea fauna.
This collection of evidence indicates the possibility of ancient sailors to build complex boats with plant ropes to store organic composite materials together. The same technology could be useful for outdoor fishing.
It would also prove instead of passive sea drifts or fragile bamboo rafts, the movement of people from the island Southeast Asia was a product of deliberate, technologically advanced seafilling over deep waters.
Draft of flow and challenging bias
Researchers were inspired to think about this topic and test this hypothesis after a few years of field work on Ilin Island, Occidental Mindoro.
Recently, they started the “first project (flow) project (flow) of long distance” to test the raw materials that were probably used in this region during the Paleolithic era and for the design and testing of various large -scale SEACraft models.
This initiative is collaborating with naval architects at the University of Cebu and is supported by a research grant by Ateneo de Manila University.
Such sophisticated marine capabilities and technologies in prehistoric ISEA emphasize the ingenuity of the early Philippine people and their neighbors.
Archaeological investigations have historically favored areas of interest in Western scientists, leading to an uneven understanding of global prehistory.
However, this study has fun with the ability to build a boat to turn the ISEA region into the center of prehistoric innovation ten thousand years ago and planted the seeds for marine traditions, which still flourish to this day.