The missing deposits of South Sulawesi: New sources of evidence for the Pleistocene/Holocene archaeological transition

Stone‐flaking technology at Leang Bulu Bettue, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

“…Based on the radiocarbon chronology, the uppermost four layers in Square ‐Z2 may partly correlate with the depositional disconformity noted in the LBB block excavation between Layers 1/3 and 4a, and/or with the deposition of the culturally‐sterile flowstone composing Layers 2−3. These layers postdate the erosional event suggested by the earlier dates on the breccia adhering to the shelter walls (Newman et al., in press).…”

“…Although we have a good morphological understanding of Toalean tool forms from decades of research in South Sulawesi, our knowledge of the details of Toalean reduction trajectories, and therefore the precise nature of the shift from Upper Industry toolmaking, is poorly understood (Perston, Moore, et al., 2021). This is partly because of the poor preservation of archaeological deposits from the crucial period (Newman et al., in press), from ca.15 ka – the terminus ante quem for the Upper Industry at LBB – to ca.8−6 ka, the first appearance of the Toalean industry at various sites across South Sulawesi (see Perston, Burhan, et al., 2021). Even less well understood are the changes to stone technology that may have occurred with the movements of Austronesian‐speaking societies in late prehistory.…”

“…The LBB assemblage also differentiates horizontally, with a Mid‐Holocene Toalean industry (after Perston, Moore, et al., 2021) expressed in Square ‐Z2. The dates from Layers 1−4 in ‐Z2 place the assemblage in the middle of the Toalean period (after Perston, Moore, et al., 2021), ca.4.8−4.2 ka calBP (Newman et al., in press).…”

“…(a) Location of Leang Bulu Bettue and other sites mentioned in text within South Sulawesi, Indonesia. (b) Stratigraphic section for the ‐Z2 excavation square at Leang Bulu Bettue (adapted from Newman et al., in press), all baulks. The layers do not correlate to the layers of the same number in the main excavation.…”

“…(d) Stone writing of unknown age in the Leang Samalea cave at the end of the LBB tunnel system that appears to spell out “Allah” in Arabic (الله). (e) Trench plan and (f) site plan of LBB (adapted from Newman et al. in press).…”