The Paleoanthropology Of Eastern Asia

"Compared to paleoanthropological (human evolution) research in Africa and Europe, similar studies on Asia have lagged far behind. The purpose of this work is to partially rectify this discrepancy. The manuscript covers the eastern Asian record (including both East and Southeast Asia) from the earliest arrival of hominins (beginning during the Early Pleistocene) until the end of the last ice age (ca. 15,000 years ago) when the introduction of substantial site occupations and technology such as pottery that traditionally signals the transition from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic began to take place. This is considered one of the most important time periods in eastern Asian prehistory characterized by the earliest arrivals of hominins (e.g., Homo erectus or something else) and the movement of these and other hominin populations (e.g., H. neanderthalensis, H. longi, H. juluensis, H. floresiensis, H. luzonensis, modern H. sapiens, etc.) through the region occurred. Further, the Paleolithic archaeological record indicates significant innovations in the region. For instance, bifacially worked stone tools (hand axes) have been found in eastern Asia where they were previously considered to have been absent. Evidence indicates that the occupation of high-altitude regions (e.g., Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau) occurred well before the advent of plant and animal domestication. Watercraft was possibly used in order to colonize regions such as the Japanese Archipelago, surrounded by water some 40,000 years ago. It is now clear that in places like Indonesia art on the walls of caves are penecontemporaneous with the Upper Paleolithic cave paintings from southern France and northern Spain (Lascaux, Altamira)"--

This volume brings together a group of authors that address the question of the first out of Africa into Asia c. 2 Ma. The scope of the book is comprehensive as it covers almost every major region of Asia. The primary goal of this volume is to provide an updated synthesis of the current state of the Asian paleoanthropological and paleoenvironmental records. Papers include detailed studies of the theoretical constructs underlying the move out of Africa, including detailed reconstructions of the paleoenvironment and possible migration routes. Other papers detail the Plio-Pleistocene archaeological and hominin fossil records of particular regions.

‘This volume brings together a diversity of international scholars, unified in the theme of expanding scientific knowledge about humanity’s past in the Asia-Pacific region. The contents in total encompass a deep time range, concerning the origins and dispersals of anatomically modern humans, the lifestyles of Pleistocene and early Holocene Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers, the emergence of Neolithic farming communities, and the development of Iron Age societies. These core enduring issues continue to be explored throughout the vast region covered here, accordingly with a richness of results as shown by the authors. Befitting of the grand scope of this volume, the individual contributions articulate perspectives from multiple study areas and lines of evidence. Many of the chapters showcase new primary field data from archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. Equally important, other chapters provide updated regional summaries of research in archaeology, linguistics, and human biology from East Asia through to the Western Pacific.’ Mike T. Carson Associate Professor of Archaeology Micronesian Area Research Center University of Guam

Research in human evolution in Asia has long been thought to lag far behind similar research in Africa and Europe. However, the limited dissemination of findings is often to blame, rather than a lack of scholarship. The Paleoanthropology of Eastern Asia attempts to rectify this misconception by synthesizing research on human evolution in eastern Asia into a single authoritative and definitive text. Covering the span of time from more than two million years ago to the end of the last Ice Age 15,000 years ago, this book examines key events, such as the arrival of the earliest hominins in eastern Asia and the evolution and interaction of various hominin species, including Homo erectus, Homo sapiens, and and a few more in between. While fossils reveal what these hominins may have looked like, the rich Paleolithic archaeological record yields insights into their behavior: Hand axes have been found in eastern Asia where they were previously believed to have been absent. Watercraft was used by foragers as early as 40,000 years ago to voyage to the Japanese archipelago. In Indonesia, cave art paintings older than those from the Lascaux caves in France have been reported. Such new and important discoveries continue to emerge. Providing comprehensive coverage of paleoanthropological research in eastern Asia—from the groundbreaking finds in a cave near Beijing in the early twentieth century to the discovery and identification of new human species during the twenty-first century—this book will captivate anyone interested in the human evolutionary record.

Bioarchaeology of Southeast Asia focuses uniquely on the physical remains of the prehistoric peoples of this region.

Interprets human skeletal collections from a region where millets, rice, and several other important cereals were cultivated, leading to attendant forms of agricultural development that were accompanied by significant technological innovations. The contributors follow the diffusion of these advanced ideas to other parts of Asia, and unravel a maze of population movements. In addition, they explore the biological implications of relatively rare subsistence strategies more or less unique to East Asia: millet agriculture, mobile pastoralism with limited cereal farming, and rice farming combined with reliance on marine resources.

This is the first volume of its kind on prehistoric cultures of South Asia. The book brings together archaeologists, biological anthropologists, geneticists and linguists in order to provide a comprehensive account of the history and evolution of human populations residing in the subcontinent. New theories and methodologies presented provide new interpretations about the cultural history and evolution of populations in South Asia.

Examines current understandings of human population histories, adaptations, dietary changes, and health variations within the geographical context of ancient east Asia.