ISEA Neolithic and Lapita (and maybe origins of the

Polynesians)

archaeological evidence

New kinds of archaeological sites across ISEA (“Neolithic”) and Near Oceania (“Lapita”) dating to 3500-5000 BP

–  Initial appearance of pottery, bones of pigs, dogs, chickens, agriculture (?)

– marine oriented: located on beaches, new fishing technology, bones of pelagic fish

–  first sites in Remote Oceania (3500 BP) –  related to Taiwan Neolithic (?)

ISEA  Neolithic  and  early  Lapita  sites  (“cleaned”)  

Lapita sites

(Kirch 2000)

Lapita pottery

Distinctive fish hooks (off shore fishing?)

Linguistic evidence

Austronesian language historical relationships

Pig (Sus scrofa) DNA

Theories of ISEA Neolithic and Lapita

1.  Express Train—Out of Taiwan straight to Oceania 2.  Slow Train—Out of Taiwan but interaction in ISEA and Near Oceania

along the way 3.  Slow Boat—Out of Wallacea (not Taiwan) 4.  Entangled Bank—arises out of interaction across ISEA and Near

Oceania, no phylogenetic structure 5.  Indigenous Innovation—pre-Lapita Melanesians figure it out with a little

help from SE Asia 6.  Kon Tiki—Out of South America (Thor Heyerdahl), following trade winds

Fast Train