Study Reveals Ancient Asian Seafarers Mastered Boatbuilding 40,000 Years Ago

A new study challenges the long-held beliefs about early maritime technology, revealing that ancient seafarers from the Philippines and Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) may have developed advanced boat-building skills over 40,000 years ago.

This finding predates renowned explorers like Ferdinand Magellan and Zheng He and suggests that early humans in the region had extensive seafaring knowledge.

The research published in the Journal of Archaeological Science by Ateneo and Alfred Pawlik contradicts the traditional belief that technological advancements were only limited to Europe and Africa.

Their findings reveal that prehistoric islanders in Southeast Asia were not passive drifters on flimsy rafts but skilled boat builders capable of intentional long-distance voyages.

ISEA was never connected to mainland Asia by land bridges or ice sheets, yet early human habitation is evident. This raises a crucial question- how did these ancient populations reach and inhabit these islands?

The study investigates clues that suggest early humans mastered deep-sea navigation.

Due to the perishable nature of wooden boats, direct archaeological evidence is hard to find. However, findings in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste provide indirect but compelling clues.

Microscopic analysis of ancient stone tools from these sites, some dating back 40,000 years, revealed traces of plant fibre processing, indicating the creation of ropes, nets and bindings-essential components for boatbuilding and deep-sea fishing.

Excavations in Mindoro and Timor-Leste further support this theory. Remains of deep-sea fish like tuna and sharks, along with fishing implements like hooks, net weights and gorges, suggest that prehistoric islanders actively fished in open waters.

The presence of such large pelagic fish, which do not inhabit shallow coastal waters, shows that these early humans had the capability for advanced maritime navigation.

“The remains of large predatory pelagic fish in these sites indicate the capacity for advanced seafaring and knowledge of the seasonality and migration routes of those fish species,” the researchers said.

The discovery of fishing tools highlights the need for strong and durable ropes for catching marine fauna, supporting the existence of sophisticated maritime technology.

Findings reveal that these early humans did not rely on simple rafts but constructed sturdy boats using organic composite materials reinforced with plant-based ropes.

Their skills in rope-making, fishing, and navigation imply they were explorers who navigated vast ocean distances to reach new islands.

Previously, there were assumptions that only later civilisations developed maritime expertise. If early Southeast Asians had the tools and knowledge to traverse deep waters, they may have played a crucial role in human migration and cultural exchanges long before recorded history.

Inspired by years of fieldwork on Ilin Island in Occidental Mindoro, Fuentes and Pawlik launched the First Long-Distance Open-Sea Watercrafts (FLOW) Project in collaboration with naval architects from the University of Cebu.

This initiative will reconstruct and test ancient boat-building techniques using locally available materials to better understand prehistoric seafaring methods.

The FLOW project aims to determine how early humans achieved ocean crossings despite the lack of surviving boat remains. Organic materials like wood and fibre rarely survive in archaeological records, making this aspect of human history an enduring mystery.

References: greekreporter, jpost

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