Pleistocene rainforests: barriers or attractive environments for early human foragers?

Abstract

In the 1980s, anthropologists argued that tropical rainforests were unattractive environments for long-term human navigation, subsistence and occupation. Meanwhile, archaeologists have traditionally held that Homo sapiens only intensively colonized rainforests during the Holocene, from c. 11 thousand years ago (ka). New discoveries and re-appraisal of Pleistocene (c. 200–12 ka) archaeological sites in Africa, Southeast Asia, Melanesia, and Sri Lanka, have, however, indicated the possibility for human occupation of rainforests from c. 45 ka and, more controversially, c. 200 ka. We critically review the archaeological evidence for Pleistocene human rainforest occupation from several regions. We argue that clear evidence exists for human adaptation to rainforest ecologies from c. 45 ka, with tantalizing hints of even earlier colonization. More research, however, is needed in order to understand the dynamism and diversity of palaeoecologies commonly classified as ‘rainforest’, as well as the regional extent, nature, and longevity of early human rainforest habitations.

Keywords:

• Tropical forest
• Homo sapiens
• adaptability
• Pleistocene
• ecology

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Peter Mitchell and two anonymous reviewers for their highly constructive comments that helped us to develop and improve the final manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

We acknowledge funding support from the European Research Council (ERC) to MD Petraglia [Advanced Grant 295719 PALAEODESERTS]. P. Roberts is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council.

Notes on contributors

Patrick Roberts

Patrick Roberts is a DPhil student in Archaeological Science at the University of Oxford. His doctoral research focuses on using stable isotope analysis of human and faunal fossil remains to elucidate Late Pleistocene human rainforest adaptations in Sri Lanka. As part of his research Patrick has focused on the critical examination of existing archaeological evidence for early human rainforest occupation and exploitation worldwide. He has also used stable isotope analysis of archaeological and palaeoentological remains as a means of palaeoenvironmental and dietary reconstruction in Europe, East and South Africa, and Saudi Arabia.

Michael Petraglia

Michael Petraglia is Professor of Human Evolution and Prehistory, Senior Research Fellow and the Co-Director of the Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art & Culture, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford. He is also a Senior Research Fellow, Linacre College (Oxford), and a member of the Human Origins Program, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. His research interests include modern human origins, Palaeolithic archaeology, lithic technology, evolution of cognition and out of Africa dispersals. His primary regions of research are the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian subcontinent and Eastern North America.