Anatomically modern human in Southeast Asia (Laos) by 46 ka.
Uncertainties surround the timing of modern human emergence and occupation in East and Southeast Asia. Although genetic and archeological data indicate a rapid migration out of Africa and into Southeast Asia by at least 60 ka, mainland Southeast Asia is notable for its absence of fossil evidence for early modern human occupation. Here we report on a modern human cranium from Tam Pa Ling, Laos, which was recovered from a secure stratigraphic context. Radiocarbon and luminescence dating of the surrounding sediments provide a minimum age of 51-46 ka, and direct U-dating of the bone indicates a maximum age of ~63 ka. The cranium has a derived modern human morphology in features of the frontal, occipital, maxillae, and dentition. It is also differentiated from western Eurasian archaic humans in aspects of its temporal, occipital, and dental morphology. In the context of an increasingly documented archaic-modern morphological mosaic among the earliest modern humans in western Eurasia, Tam Pa Ling establishes a definitively modern population in Southeast Asia at ~50 ka cal BP. As such, it provides the earliest skeletal evidence for fully modern humans in mainland Southeast Asia.
Department Homme Nature Société, National Museum of Natural History, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7206/Unité Scientifique du Muséum 104, 75005 Paris France. demeter@mnhn.fr
Fabrice
F
Demeter
Laura L
LL
Shackelford
Anne-Marie
AM
Bacon
Philippe
P
Duringer
Kira
K
Westaway
Thongsa
T
Sayavongkhamdy
José
J
Braga
Phonephanh
P
Sichanthongtip
Phimmasaeng
P
Khamdalavong
Jean-Luc
JL
Ponche
Hong
H
Wang
Craig
C
Lundstrom
Elise
E
Patole-Edoumba
Anne-Marie
AM
Karpoff
D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000266:history*; D005580:Fossils; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D007812:Laos; D049449:Luminescence; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000737:chemistry*; D013045:Species Specificity
D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes