The Hoabinhian of Southeast Asia and its Relationship to Regional Pleistocene Lithic Technologies

Marwick, Ben

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-64407-3_4

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…The record of human activity at CMC, and our tentative association between episodes of occupation and abandonment and changes in monsoon intensity provides novel insights in a region where current narratives of the Palaeolithic are based largely on scattered human remains and lithic finds (Dennell & Porr, ; Marwick, ; Marwick, ; Morley, ). To resolve the regional history of human–environment interactions and more fully understand the processes driving settlement, demographic change and adaptation in this diverse and challenging region will require the combination of a range of complementary techniques and approaches, such as those used in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…In North Vietnam, such assemblages are often associated with shell middens in cave sites such as Con Moong Cave (Su, 2009;Thong, 1980) and Hang Boi (Moser, 2012;Rabett et al, 2011), dating to the terminal Pleistocene and later. However, new discoveries across MSEA have blurred the temporal and geographical boundaries of this technological change, rendering the "Hoabinhian" a nebulous archaeological concept, with no demonstrated environmental or economic driver (Ji et al, 2016;Marwick, 2018). As research across Southeast Asia suggests communities employed complex, forest-based procurement strategies from~40 ka and earlier (Bae et al, 2017;Barker et al, 2007;Hunt & Barker, 2014;Hunt, Gilbertson, & Rushworth, 2012;O'Connor & Bulbeck, 2014;Piper & Rabett, 2014;Rabett, 2018;Roberts, Perera, et al, 2015;Wedage et al, 2019), the vectors and chronology of hominin dispersal and adaptation within MSEA persist as enigmas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While Pleistocene lithic assemblages are relatively common in Southeast Asia, they are frequently recovered from unstratified contexts or associated with tenuous stratigraphic interpretations (Brumm & Moore, ). Upper Pleistocene flaked tool assemblages in the region show remarkably limited variation across a vast geographic and temporal expanse (Marwick, ), but a shift in manufacturing practice from small flakes to unifacially flaked cobbles, the so‐called “Hoabinhian phenomenon”, is evident in MSEA (Van Tan, ). In North Vietnam, such assemblages are often associated with shell middens in cave sites such as Con Moong Cave (Su, ; Thong, ) and Hang Boi (Moser, ; Rabett et al, ), dating to the terminal Pleistocene and later.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Pleistocene geoarchaeology and geochronology of Con Moong Cave, North Vietnam: Site formation processes and hominin activity in the humid tropics

McAdams

Morley²,

Fu³

et al. 2019

Geoarchaeology

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This paper presents the results of geoarchaeological and geochronological investigations at Con Moong Cave, North Vietnam. Beneath the published, terminal Pleistocene sequence, recent excavations have uncovered a ~5 m stratigraphic sequence containing flaked stone artifacts and sedimentary features that indicate extensive post‐depositional change. As the effects of tropical conditions on Pleistocene cave sediments are poorly resolved, a range of complementary techniques was selected to reconstruct the nature of on‐site sedimentation and occupation, while assessing the taphonomy of archaeological and palaeoecological materials. Our approach incorporates microstratigraphic, geochemical and sedimentological analyses, using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating to estimate the time of sediment deposition in the cave. This case study has broad application to tropical zones worldwide. Sedimentation began in early Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4, while micromorphologically observed human occupation commenced before 42 thousand years ago (ka). By placing our results within the context of published, high‐resolution regional records of climate, we demonstrate that on‐site rhythms of Pleistocene occupation correlated with environmental changes in the region. During MIS 3, episodic abandonment of the site coincided with periods of drier conditions, while rapid climate fluctuations in MIS 2 corresponded with short‐lived occupation events and a switch to predominantly geogenic deposition in the cave.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Pleistocene geoarchaeology and geochronology of Con Moong Cave, North Vietnam: Site formation processes and hominin activity in the humid tropics

McAdams

Morley²,

Fu³

et al. 2019

Geoarchaeology

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“…The associated tools usually include short axes, discs, hammers, almond-shaped artefacts, scrapers, and choppers, etc. It is a cobble-tool industry and the tempo-spatial distribution of the Hoabinhian is Mainland Southeast Asia and the nearby regions during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene (Collectif 1932;Gorman 1969Gorman , 1970Marwick 2018;Matthews 1966;Pautreau 1994). This typological definition of the Hoabinhian is often criticized because the sumatralith is seen as the hallmark of the Hoabinhian by many researchers, while other associated tools are too often neglected (Marwick 2008;Reynolds 1990;White and Gorman 2004;Zeitoun et al 2008).…”

Section: What Is the Hoabinhian?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Hoabinhian variability in Mainland Southeast Asia revisited: The lithic assemblage of Moh Khiew Cave, Southwestern Thailand

Forestier

Zhou

Auetrakulvit

et al. 2021

Archaeological Research in Asia

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The Hoabinhian has been a major topic in prehistoric research in Mainland Southeast Asia for nearly 90 years. However, its variability in terms of lithic assemblages is still poorly understood, as a limited number of sites have been analyzed from a technological perspective. This variability is to be expected, considering that the Hoabinhian covers a timespan of more than 30,000 years, a wide region extending from mountainous south-western China to insular Indonesia and diversified sub-tropical to tropical environments. In this research, we present the variability of Hoabinhian tools at the site of Moh Khiew Cave in Southern Thailand. Unlike other 'typical'-Hoabinhian sites discovered in this region, the Hoabinhian lithic assemblage (~11,000-9000 BP) at Moh Khiew is dominated by unifacially shaped limaces and unifaces, on large/medium and thick flakes, and thus involves a mixed operational sequence (chaîne opératoire) of debitage and shaping methods. No classic sumatralith tools were found in the site, which are usually made on river cobbles and considered to be the hallmark of the Hoabinhian. Another exceptional tool type is the biface, made on shale slabs or blocks, other cutting tool types include chopper-chopping-tools and flake tools, etc. In view of the production methods of unifaces and limaces, their distinct volumetric structures, and the co-existence of unifaces with other shaped tool types; the Moh Khiew lithic assemblage is different from other Hoabinhian sites, and may represent a local variant of the Hoabinhian in this region of southwestern Thailand.

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“…Defining the Hoabinhian is difficult as its chronological and geographical distribution is yet to be clearly defined. Most simply, it can be described as a late Pleistocene-early Holocene industry of Southeast Asia which is characterised by unifacial flaked tools made primarily on water rounded pebbles, core tools ('sumatraliths'), and grinding stones (Chitkament et al 2016;Ji et al 2016;Marwick, 2018). In other cases, clear description of pieces lack the level of detail required to situate them among their contemporaries.…”

Section: Current Evidence: Sunda and Wallaceamentioning

confidence: 99%

Symbolic expression in Pleistocene Sahul, Sunda, and Wallacea

Langley

Clarkson

Ulm

2019

Quaternary Science Reviews

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The pace of research undertaken in Sunda (Southeast Asia) through to Sahul (Greater Australia) has increased exponentially over the last three decades, resulting in spectacular discoveries ranging from new hominin species, significant extension to the age for first human occupation in the region, as well as the identification of what is currently the oldest known rock art in the world. These breakthroughs cast the archaeological record of complexity in Sunda, Sahul, and Wallacea in an entirely different light to that of several decades ago, placing it on an equal footing to that of Africa, Asia, and Europe. The archaeological record of these regions now points to rich and diverse early modern human (Homo sapien) societies engaged in complex symbolic and technological behaviours demonstrating capacities for innovation and selfexpression found in all modern human groups now around the globe. Here we provide a comprehensive review of all Pleistocene symbolic evidence reported for Sahul, Sunda, and Wallacea to date. We explore how recent findings have changed our perceptions of the first modern human colonists and our understanding of the origins and development of the rich and diverse cultures that arose in each region through time. Keywordscognition; ornamentation; art; information exchange; colourants; modern human; modern human behaviour Highlights We review all evidence for Pleistocene symbolic behaviour in Sahul, Sunda, Wallacea.  We explore how recent findings have changed our perceptions of these regions.  We overturn long-held notions that Sahul, Sunda, and Wallacea were static and lacked cultural dynamism. U: >34.98±0.41 ka (LJ2) Dark red hand stencil Aubert et al., 2014 Leang Barugayya 2, Sulawesi U: >44.00±+9.10/-8.30 ka (LB4.2) Large red painting of an indeterminate animal (probably a pig, a babirusa or Sus celebensis)

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The Hoabinhian of Southeast Asia and its Relationship to Regional Pleistocene Lithic Technologies

Cited by 10 publications

References 50 publications

The Pleistocene geoarchaeology and geochronology of Con Moong Cave, North Vietnam: Site formation processes and hominin activity in the humid tropics

The Pleistocene geoarchaeology and geochronology of Con Moong Cave, North Vietnam: Site formation processes and hominin activity in the humid tropics

Hoabinhian variability in Mainland Southeast Asia revisited: The lithic assemblage of Moh Khiew Cave, Southwestern Thailand

Symbolic expression in Pleistocene Sahul, Sunda, and Wallacea

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