Theories
There are two very different theories regarding the origins of recent Southeast Asians. Views in regards to the origins of those peoples are entangled in a broader debate in regards to the origins of all modern humans.
- The generally accepted theory, based on the “out of Africa” model, is that modern humans migrated from Africa to Asia roughly 50,000–70,000 years ago. The early Asians, represented by skulls from the Upper Zhoukoudian Cave in China, look more like modern Africans and Europeans than modern Asians.
- Some scientists consider that the direct descendants are the people of Southeast Asia Standing man that migrated from Africa to Asia about 1.8 million years ago. It is due to this fact possible to trace physical features typical of recent Asians Standing man specimens equivalent to Dali and the Peking Man. Dali’s skull plays a key role within the multi-regional model of the origins of humans and, due to this fact, the people of Southeast Asia. An adult male skull present in Shaanxi Province, China in 1978 was classified as: Homo sp (species uncertain). It is dated to be 200,000 years old. Some say its more modern features provide a connection between the older ones Standing man specimens from locality 1 Zhoukoudian and modern Chinese. However, most others query it since it lacks modern Asian facial expression.
The fossil record of Southeast Asia
The fossil record doesn’t cover dates from about 100,000 to about 25,000 years ago – a key period for the presumed arrival or evolution of recent humans within the region. There are few archaeological sites or fossils whose origin and date are certain.
The only possible exception is a skeleton excavated in 2003 from Tianyuan Cave in Zhoukoudian near Beijing. It dates from 42,000 to 38,500 years ago, making it the oldest safely dated modern human skeleton in China and considered one of the oldest modern human fossils in eastern Eurasia. The specimen is a contemporary human, but has several archaic features, particularly within the teeth and hand bones. Explorers consider this has implications for the spread of recent humans out of Africa, suggesting it is probably not so simple as first thought and will involve multiple migratory event.
The 25,000-year-old fossil record is best represented and more securely dated, providing more opportunities to review the stays and draw conclusions in regards to the origins of recent humans in the realm.
Emergence of Southeast Asian features
The first humans in Asia wouldn’t have the distinctive cranial and facial expression present in modern Southeast Asians. It is difficult to find out exactly when typical Southeast Asian features emerged, but there appears to be little evolutionary continuity between modern Asians and the traditional populations that lived in Southeast Asia before 15,000 years ago.
Common physical features of recent Southeast Asia include:
- cheekbones pointing upwards
- wide face with limited projection
- flattened nasal bones and a large nose
- shovel-shaped incisors
The earliest evidence of those Asian features within the fossil record was present in skulls from Baoji and Huaxian in China, dating to roughly 7,000 years ago. Genetic research confirms the recent origin of Asian characteristics. They suggest that a major population reduction occurred in Asia around 10,000 years ago. This was followed by a rapid expansion, related to the spread of agriculture, of a population dominated by Asian characteristics.
Key early specimens that lack modern southeastern characteristics:
- Liujiang skull from Guanxi Province in southern China. Remains of a middle-aged man present in a cave in 1958. Age is unknown, but similarity to Zhoukoudian 101 suggests a date of 25,000 to 10,000 years old.
- Zhoukoudian skull from Upper Cave 101 in China. About 8 skulls and bones were present in 1933 along with 2 other skulls and bones. The inclusion of grave goods equivalent to red ochre, body ornaments, bone implements, and stone artifacts suggests a ritual burial. Dated to between 25,000 and 10,000 years ago.
- Minatog Skull 1 from Japan. Male skeleton present in 1970. It has more features in common with the Liujiang skull than with the Neolithic and modern Asian skulls. Dated to 17,000 years ago.
The first modern Indonesians
It was once argued that the Indonesian fossil record provided evidence for regional or local evolution. It was claimed that there was a direct line of descent Standing man equivalent to the Javanese man, to modern Indonesians, in addition to indigenous Australians. The first people to colonize Indonesia and Australia probably got here from a more moderen movement A clever man through the Indonesian archipelago.
Attempts to prove this evolutionary continuity have up to now been unsuccessful. The fossil record is fragmentary, with the sample limited to key periods equivalent to 100,000 to 50,000 years ago. Locals have discovered and excavated many Indonesian fossils without recording the precise location. This makes it almost unattainable to create a well-dated sequence of fossils. Also under discussion are anatomical features that indicate evolutionary sequence.
Key specimens:
- Solo Man skullcap from Ngangdong. This skull is analogous with the sooner ones Standing man specimens from Sangiran and are considered late Standing man. The age is uncertain, and since its exact location is unknown, published dates range from 50,000 to 500,000 years old.
- Wadjak skull from Java. This is A clever man a skull discovered in 1889 but not described until 1921. Its age is uncertain, however it might be lower than 20,000 years old and will be as old as 8,000 years. The lack of certainty about Wadjak’s age and its relationship to other ancient stays reduces the importance of this specimen in discussions about migration from Asia and Australia.
- Java Man (Trinil 2) from Trinil, Java. This is Standing man skull discovered by Dubois in 1891 and dated to be 500,000 years old.
-====
Source:
Dorey, Fran Fran. “The first modern humans in Southeast Asia”. Australian MuseumApril 4, 2019, australian.museum/learn/science/human-evolution/the-first-modern-humans-in-sutheast-asia/.
