An early colonisation pathway into northwest Australia 70-60,000 years ago

Norman, Kasih; Inglis, Josha; Clarkson, Chris; Faith, J. Tyler; Shulmeister, James; Harris, David

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.11.023

Cited by 73 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…We therefore take the broad interval of 65-50 ka as the likely arrival window of people into Sahul. Arrival most likely occurred somewhere in the northern regions of Sahul, closest to the islands of Wallacea in the Timor Sea, Arafura Sea, and across Torres Strait and Carpentarian Plain during times of lower sea levels [22][23][24][25][26][27] . However, given that only a few archaeological sites from the north have revealed cultural remains within the putative arrival window and that ancient DNA is poorly preserved in this region of the world, it is difficult to estimate when and where enough people first arrived in Australia to produce one of the longest standing, successful human populations in the world outside of Africa -a population that went on to adapt successfully and populate the entire continent over the following several thousand years 10,28,29 .…”

Section: Mainmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, given that only a few archaeological sites from the north have revealed cultural remains within the putative arrival window and that ancient DNA is poorly preserved in this region of the world, it is difficult to estimate when and where enough people first arrived in Australia to produce one of the longest standing, successful human populations in the world outside of Africa -a population that went on to adapt successfully and populate the entire continent over the following several thousand years 10,28,29 . Recent studies have modelled plausible routes and therefore the potential geographic locations that would have supported a successful migration to Australia [22][23][24][25][26][27] , but the numbers and diversity of humans that first arrived on the continent remain largely unknown 10,28,29 . Fundamentally then, the size and migration patterns of founding populations (i.e., whether arrival was accidental by a small band of hunter-gatherers, or something larger-scale and more complex) directly contributes to our understanding of modern human societies at this time, and how the peopling of Sahul fits into this broader story.…”

Section: Mainmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Age-specific fertility (mx) based on age at primiparity (first reproduction) estimates for 22 hunter-gatherer groups 4 , taking the average and 95% confidence interval of these for women as an indicator of the onset of reproduction in such societies. These give a mean age of 19 years old for primiparity among women (95% confidence interval: [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. The onset of reproduction and the implied fertility decline compares well with the global average fertility schedule of modern Homo sapiens 5 .…”

Section: Data Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Minimum founding populations for the first peopling of Sahul

et al. 2019

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The timing, context and nature of the first people to enter Sahul is still poorly understood owing to a fragmented archaeological record. However, quantifying the plausible demographic context of this founding population is essential to determine how and why the initial peopling of Sahul occurred. We developed a stochastic, age-structured model using demographic rates from hunter-gatherer societies, and relative carrying capacity hindcasted with LOVECLIM's net primary productivity for northern Sahul. We projected these populations to determine the resilience and minimum sizes required to avoid extinction. A census founding population of between 1,300 and 1,550 individuals was necessary to maintain a quasiextinction threshold of ≲0.1. This minimum founding population could have arrived at a single point in time, or through multiple voyages of ≥130 people over ~700-900 years. This result shows that substantial population amalgamation in Sunda and Wallacea in Marine Isotope Stages 3-4 provided the conditions for the successful, large-scale and probably planned peopling of Sahul.

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Section: Mainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Data Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Minimum founding populations for the first peopling of Sahul

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“…: 63 for explanation), these authors conclude, contra Norman et al . () and Bird et al . () that their models result in “overwhelming support” for initial entry via the northern route, whether one considers the highest or lowest sea‐stands in the relevant period.…”

Section: Where Are We Now?mentioning

confidence: 86%

“…For example, Norman et al . () begin with the premise that AMH had reached Sahul between 60 and 70 ka, at which time low sea levels enlarged islands and reduced distances between them. Here the argument is predicated on the Madjedbebe dates; the lower sea levels of this period require an accommodation to fit the dates rather than offering an explanation for human transit.…”

Section: Where Are We Now?mentioning

confidence: 99%

A different paradigm for the initial colonisation of Sahul

Allen

O’Connell

2020

Archaeology in Oceania

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The questions of when and how humans reached Sahul, the Pleistocene continent of Australia and New Guinea, has remained a central issue of Australian archaeology since its development as an academic discipline in the mid-twentieth century. Modelling this event has persistently appealed to minimal assumptions -the simplest watercraft, the shortest routes, the smallest viable colonising groups. This paper argues that Australian archaeology can no longer ignore the way our understanding of this initial colonisation is being reshaped by current genomic research. It reviews this evidence and concludes that a colonising wave of hundreds or perhaps low thousands of people was involved. If correct, it suggests that we need to rethink our models, modify or discard the minimalist assumptions that have so far driven them and consider how this different paradigm affects our understanding of early settlement in Sahul. RÉSUMÉ La question de savoir quand et comment les hommes ont atteint Sahul, le continent pléistocène regroupant l'Australie et laNouvelle-Guinée, persiste comme une problématique centrale de l'archéologie australienne depuis son essor en tant que discipline universitaire au milieu du vingtième siècle. La modélisation de cetévénement s'est appuyée de façon récurrente sur des présupposés minimalistes, impliquant les moyens de navigation les plus simples, les routes les plus courtes, les groupes de colonisation viable les plus restreints. Ce papier soutient que l'archéologie australienne ne peut plus ignorer combien notre compréhension de ce peuplement initial se trouve aujourd'hui redéfinie par la recherche génomique en cours. Il passe en revue les données et conclue que plusieurs centaines ou quelques milliers de personnes ont participéà cette vague de peuplement. Si cette hypothèse est correcte, elle implique que nous repensions nos modèles, que nous modifiions ou abandonnions les présupposés minimalistes qui ont jusqu'à présent défini ceux-ci et que nous analysions comment ce nouveau paradigme influence notre compréhension du premier peuplement de Sahul.

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Hydatid disease (Echinococcosis granulosis) diagnosis from skeletal osteolytic lesions in an early seventh‐millennium BP forager community from preagricultural northern Vietnam

Vlok

Buckley

Domett

et al. 2021

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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Objectives: Con Co Ngua is a complex, sedentary forager site from northern Vietnam dating to the early seventh millennium BP. Prior research identified a calcified Echinococcus granulosis cyst, which causes hydatid disease. Osteolytic lesions consistent with hydatid disease were also present in this individual and others. Hydatid disease is observed in high frequencies in pastoralists, and its presence in a hunter-gatherer community raises questions regarding human-animal interaction prior to farming. The objective of this article is to identify and describe the epidemiology of hydatid disease in the human skeletal assemblage at Con Co Ngua.Materials and methods: One hundred and fifty-five individuals were macroscopically assessed for lesions. Of these, eight individuals were radiographed. Hydatid disease was diagnosed using a new threshold criteria protocol derived from clinical literature, which prioritizes lesions specific to the parasite.Results: Twenty-two individuals (14.2%) presented with osteolytic lesions consistent with hydatid disease, affecting the distal humerus, proximal femur and forearm, and pelvis. Seven individuals radiographed (4.5%) had multilocular cystic lesions strongly diagnostic for hydatid disease. All probable cases had lesions of the distal humerus.The remaining lesions were macroscopically identical to those radiographed and were considered possible cases.Discussion: While hydatid disease has previously been found in pre-agricultural communities, the high prevalence at Con Co Ngua is non-incidental. We propose that the presence of wild canids and management of wild buffalo and deer increased the risk of disease transmission. These findings further reveal subsistence complexity among hunter-gatherers living millennia prior to the adoption of farming in Southeast Asia.

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An early colonisation pathway into northwest Australia 70-60,000 years ago

Cited by 73 publications

References 48 publications

Minimum founding populations for the first peopling of Sahul

Minimum founding populations for the first peopling of Sahul

A different paradigm for the initial colonisation of Sahul

Hydatid disease (Echinococcosis granulosis) diagnosis from skeletal osteolytic lesions in an early seventh‐millennium BP forager community from preagricultural northern Vietnam

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