• How did Homo erectus reach Java? Least-cost pathway models and a consid

    From Primum Sapienti@21:1/5 to All on Sun Apr 14 23:15:50 2024
    https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/n12084/pdf/ch09.pdf

    Abstract
    The earliest Homo erectus remains in
    Southeast Asia are in opposite reaches
    of this geographical region. H. erectus
    material from Gongwangling, China, and
    Mojokerto, Java, represent some of the
    earliest body fossils recovered for this
    species, but very few H. erectus records
    exist from between these regions. We
    examine possible routes that H. erectus
    could have taken on their journey
    southward, using a least-cost pathway
    analysis. Our models suggest that the
    easiest pathway ran through the centre
    of Sundaland, an area now almost entirely
    submerged. During periods of higher
    sea-levels, however, the pathway moved
    west and could coincide with emergent
    areas on or just off the east coast of
    Sumatra. Geological conditions on the
    east coast of Sumatra, while of the right
    age to contain early hominin remains, are
    not conducive to the preservation of fossil
    material or the retention of suitable
    quarries for stone artefact production.
    The Riau archipelago also lies on probable
    migration routes; however, geological
    outcrops of the right age will probably be
    difficult to find there.

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