title: Pelagic fishing at 42,000 years before the present and the maritime skills of modern humans.
abstract: By 50,000 years ago, it is clear that modern humans were capable of long-distance sea travel as they colonized Australia. However, evidence for advanced maritime skills, and for fishing in particular, is rare before the terminal Pleistocene/early Holocene. Here we report remains of a variety of pelagic and other fish species dating to 42,000 years before the present from Jerimalai shelter in East Timor, as well as the earliest definite evidence for fishhook manufacture in the world. Capturing pelagic fish such as tuna requires high levels of planning and complex maritime technology. The evidence implies that the inhabitants were fishing in the deep sea.
authors: Department of Archaeology and Natural History, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.
authors: Sue
authors: S
authors: O'Connor
authors: Rintaro
authors: R
authors: Ono
authors: Chris
authors: C
authors: Clarkson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001106:Archaeology; D001842:Bone and Bones; D005398:Fisheries / Q000266:history*; D005399:Fishes / Q000145:classification; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D012623:Seawater; D013672:Technology / Q000266:history*; D049648:Timor-Leste