The geoarchaeology of hominin dispersals to and from tropical Southeast Asia: A review and prognosis. (January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Morley, Mike W.
• Is Part Of: Journal of archaeological science. Volume 77(2017)
• Page Start: 78
• Page End: 93
• Publication Date: 2017-01
• Subjects: Geoarchaeology -- Southeast Asia -- Homo sapiens -- Hominin -- Dispersal -- Colonisation -- Review; Archaeology -- Periodicals; Archéologie -- Périodiques; 930.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2016.07.009
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0305-4403

Abstract

Abstract: Tropical Southeast Asia is a critically important region for addressing the major questions and grand challenges that concern us today regarding Late Pleistocene hominin dispersals across the Old World. Geoarchaeological science is widely employed in many regions of the world to contextualise archaeological material and provide an environmental backdrop against which to explore archaeological narratives. However, in Southeast Asia there is an apparent lag in the routine use of this Earth-Science approach despite the abundance of archaeological sites important in explicating past hominin dispersals to and from the region. In this review of the state-of-the-art of geoarchaeological research in Southeast Asia, I examine the role of the discipline in addressing the important issues in archaeology today. I identify where geoarchaeology is being used and to what effect, highlighting gaps in the geoarchaeological dataset. From a methodological point of view it is imperative that archaeologists and geoarchaeologists working in Southeast Asia (and other humid tropical regions of the world) fully appreciate how to interpret the geoarchaeological signatures associated with this climate regime so that methods and practice can be refined. A series of steps that will serve to drive forward geoarchaeological research in the region are also proposed. Highlights: Review of the geoarchaeology of Late Pleistocene modern human dispersals into and out of Southeast Asia. Evaluation of the use of geoarchaeological science in Southeast Asia, and how to fill the gaps in our understanding. Shows the importance of geoarchaeology in providing stratigraphic information and contextualising important fossil finds. Assessment of atypical humid tropical geomorphological processes, and their manifestation in the (micro)stratigraphic record. Scheme proposed to promote geoarchaeological science in Southeast Asia.