Populations of Homo erectus arrived in Java, Indonesia
as early as 1.8 mya
Sahul
connection in landmasses in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea in lowest sea level during that time period
Sunda
landmasses connecting Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, and most of Indonesia)
Wallacea Island
separated Sahul and Sunda was too deep to have ever been dry land in the past 50 million years
The Wallace Line
the line that separates the unique animals and plants of Australia (Sahul) from those of Southeast Asia (Sunda)
- humans had to cross the line by sea to reach Australia
Flores in Wallacea
Homo Erectus fossils were found from 900,000-800,000 years ago
Homo floresiensis
hominis date back between 100,000-60,000 years ago was found on Flores Islands
Humans arrival in Austraila
60,000-50,000 years ago (10,000 years before arriving in Europe)
Possile Scenarios for the people of Asutraila
Extinction of Megafauna
in Australia took place between 50,000-40,000 years ago (took place 10,000 years after the first arrival of humans in Australia)
Glacial maximum
climate change occurred 20,000-15,000 years ago (extinction took place before that)
Human Activity
little evidence for hunting of megafauna by humans and little evidence for highly sophisticated hunting weapons
Altered the ecology
by using fire to smoke animals to hunt, which destroyed the grasses and other food sources for megafauna (still used by Aboriginal peoples in the 1800s)
Rock art
popular form of expression early on in peopling of Australia
- highly developed mythological and ritual trditional
x-ray style
applying beeswax to rock-shelter wall and often the depicted internal bone structure
Ubirr
figure shows various equiment carried by hunter-gatherer aboriginal people in Kakadu National Park in Australia
Micronesia and Polynesia
first spread out around 35,000 years ago
Obsidian and bones
not a one-time chance voyage likely was sustained trade between the various islands
Lapita
style of pottery 3,500 years ago spread across the region
Strict rules of inheritance
favored the firstborn child (motivated younger siblings to seek their own”house” and traveled a new lands
Advanced seafaring
explain the migration
3 current Models for Human Occupation of the “Americas”
Clovis first model
Clovis first model migration
from Siberia to North America via the Beringia land bridge when the global sea levels dropped during a period of glacial advance