• Stone tool analysis of sites in Southeast Asia provided evidence that the area was a technological leader in seafaring.

• Archaeology supports that, 40,000 years ago, the people living in Southeast Asia were well-versed in boatbuilding and open-sea fishing.

• This research puts Southeast Asia ahead of Europe and Africa in technological process.

In the history of studying the proliferation of humanity across the globe, there has long been one question that has stumped researchers: How did the islands of Southeast Asia (ISEA) become so well-inhabited so long ago? It likely required technological seafaring advancements beyond what was considered likely during the Paleolithic era. But those experts may have a surprising new answer thanks to new research that shows the ancient people of the Philippines and ISEA may have mastered seafaring well before anyone else.

The pivotal archaeological evidence comes in the form of stone tools excavated at sites in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste, showing strong evidence that as far back as 40,000 years ago, there was a technological sophistication from these ancient seafarers that rivals much later civilizations. In a study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, researchers from Ateneo de Manila University challenge the accepted belief that Paleolithic technical progress was centered in Africa and Europe.

Proving seafaring history represents a tricky endeavor, since organic wood and fiber that would have likely been used in constructing Paleolithic seacraft rarely survive in the archaeological record. These stone tools offer a new way in. The most recent discovery, according to the study, shows traces of plant processing that features the “extraction of fibers necessary for making ropes, nets, and bindings essential for boatbuilding and open-sea fishing.”

Add in the discovery of fishing hooks, gorges, net weights, and the remains of deep-ocean fish such as tuna and sharks, and these archeological sites are a rich exploration of what is obviously a robust seafaring culture.

“The remains of large predatory pelagic fish at these sites indicate the capacity for advanced seafaring and knowledge of the seasonality and migration routes of those fish species,” the study authors wrote. The collection of fish and tool remains “indicates the need for strong and well-crafted cordage for ropes and fishing lines to catch the marine fauna.”

As the archaeological finds point toward a sophisticated method of deep-ocean fishing, the study authors believe the ancient seafarers constructed boats from organic materials and held them together with plant-based ropes. That same rope technology was then adapted for the actual fishing.

While widely accepted that the presence of fossils and artifacts across a range of islands provides evidence that early modern humans moved across the open sea, the study’s authors fight against the prevailing theory that the prehistoric migrations were passive sea drifters on bamboo rafts. Rather, they posit that the movement came from highly skilled navigators equipped with the knowledge and technology to travel to remote locations over deep waters.

“The identification of boat-building materials through direct or indirect evidence is vital in understanding movements across and within island environments,” the authors wrote in the study.

“The presence of such advanced maritime technology in prehistoric ISEA highlights the ingenuity of early Philippine peoples and their neighbors,” the authors said in a statement from the university, “whose boat-building knowledge likely made the region a center for technological innovations tens of thousands of years ago and laid the foundations for the maritime traditions that still thrive in the region today.”

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