Rethinking the Neolithic in Island Southeast Asia, with Particular Reference to the Archaeology of Timor

Black drawings at the cave site of Gua Pondoa, Southeast Sulawesi: The motifs and a comparison with pigment art elsewhere in Sulawesi and the broader Western Pacific region

“…First, the use of caverns for mortuary purposes in Sulawesi appears to have been a specific development of low-intensity farming, as argued by Bulbeck (2010) for South Sulawesi and Bulbeck et al (2016) for the Towuti-Routa region. Second, the dispersal of Malayo-Polynesian languages across their range including Sulawesi probably involved the propagation of cultigens even if this involved a shift over time from cereal crops to tree and root crops (O'Connor 2015). There is indeed evidence for prehistoric habitation by Malayo-Polynesian speakers in Kecamatan Wiwirano, North Konawe, based on the finds of polished stone axes and earthenware pottery sherds from the 2009-11 Makassar Archaeology Office excavations (led by the first author) at the Gua Tengkorak site.…”

The Western Route Migration: A Second Probable Neolithic Diffusion to Indonesia

“…This particular type of decoration is essentially limited to western Indonesia, including Loyang Mendale cave in Aceh (Wiradnyana and Taufikurrachman 2011), the Silabe and Harimau Caves in South Sumatra (Simanjuntak 2013), Buni on the north coast of West Java (Sutayasa 1972), and Liang Abu and some other sites in Kalimantan (Plutniak et al 2014 (Meacham 1999) and Taiwan (Chang 1970). In contrast, red-slipped pottery, the marker of the 'Out-of-Taiwan' migration, is commonly found in Neolithic sites in or near the eastern parts of Indonesia (Spriggs 1989(Spriggs , 2011Bellwood et al 1998;Simanjuntak 2008;Galipaud et al 2010;Simanjuntak et al 2012;Anggraeni et al 2014;O'Connor 2015). Red-slipped pottery is also found in the western parts of Indonesia, but so far limited to Palaeometallic and historical sites.…”

A Systematic Quantitative Literature Review of Southeast Asian and Micronesian Rock Art

“…Aside from seven references to Negritos and Indigenous People, the literature mentioned modern artist groups four times, Austronesians with no reference to rock-art theories four times, Austronesian Painting Tradition 13 times, and Austronesian Engraving Style five times. All references to Austronesian Painting Tradition appeared in research conducted around the Banda Sea, including Borneo (e.g., Aubert et al 2007; Ballard 1988; Chazine and Setiawan 2005; O'Connor 2015; Oktaviana et al 2016; Wilson 2004). Tan and Chia (2010) mentioned Austronesian Painting Tradition in passing while discussing a site in Malaysia but not as a classification for the site.…”