title: Advanced maritime adaptation in the western Pacific coastal region extends back to 35,000-30,000 years before present.
abstract: Maritime adaptation was one of the essential factors that enabled modern humans to disperse all over the world. However, geographic distribution of early maritime technology during the Late Pleistocene remains unclear. At this time, the Indonesian Archipelago and eastern New Guinea stand as the sole, well-recognized area for secure Pleistocene evidence of repeated ocean crossings and advanced fishing technology. The incomplete archeological records also make it difficult to know whether modern humans could sustain their life on a resource-poor, small oceanic island for extended periods with Paleolithic technology. We here report evidence from a limestone cave site on Okinawa Island, Japan, of successive occupation that extends back to 35,000-30,000 y ago. Well-stratified strata at the Sakitari Cave site yielded a rich assemblage of seashell artifacts, including formally shaped tools, beads, and the world's oldest fishhooks. These are accompanied by seasonally exploited food residue. The persistent occupation on this relatively small, geographically isolated island, as well as the appearance of Paleolithic sites on nearby islands by 30,000 y ago, suggest wider distribution of successful maritime adaptations than previously recognized, spanning the lower to midlatitude areas in the western Pacific coastal region.
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum, Okinawa 900-0006, Japan; fujiamsk@pref.okinawa.lg.jp kaifu@kahaku.go.jp.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum, Okinawa 900-0006, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum, Okinawa 900-0006, Japan.
authors.forename: Chiaki
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Katagiri
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Ishi no Kai, Okinawa 901-2206, Japan.
authors.forename: Itsuro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Oshiro
authors.affiliation: The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.affiliation: Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba 260-8682, Japan.
authors.forename: Taiji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurozumi
authors.affiliation: Board of Education, Urasoe City, Okinawa 901-2103, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sugawara
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Dai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kunikita
authors.affiliation: The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuzaki
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyusyu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kano
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyusyu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan; Department of Subsurface Geobiological Analysis and Research (D-SUGAR), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science & Technology, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoyo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okumura
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyusyu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sone
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyusyu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
authors.forename: Hikaru
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Saga University, Saga 840-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 907-1541, Japan.
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Naruse
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo 112-8610, Japan.
authors.forename: Megumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo 112-8610, Japan.
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsu'ura
authors.affiliation: The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Gen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Suwa
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Ibaraki 305-0005, Japan fujiamsk@pref.okinawa.lg.jp kaifu@kahaku.go.jp.
authors.forename: Yousuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kaifu
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D016477:Artifacts; D003386:Brachyura / Q000502:physiology; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D059552:Caves; D017753:Ecosystem; D005843:Geography; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D012621:Seasons; D012908:Snails / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes
keywords: Homo sapiens; Late Paleolithic; Late Pleistocene; early modern humans; maritime adaptation