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Tropical island adaptations in Southeast Asia during the Last Glacial Maximum: evidence from Palawan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2022

Janine Ochoa Open the ORCID record for Janine Ochoa [Opens in a new window] ,
Jane Carlos ,
Myra Lara ,
Alexandra de Leon ,
Omar Choa ,
Patricia Cabrera ,
Maria Rebecca Ferreras ,
Dante Ricardo Manipon ,
Trishia Gayle Palconit  and
Gaddy Narte
...Show all authors
Janine Ochoa*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of the Philippines, Quezon City, Philippines
Jane Carlos
Affiliation:
Archaeological Studies Program, University of the Philippines, Quezon City, Philippines
Myra Lara
Affiliation:
Birkbeck, University of London, UK
Alexandra de Leon
Affiliation:
National Museum of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines
Omar Choa
Affiliation:
Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
Patricia Cabrera
Affiliation:
Archaeological Studies Program, University of the Philippines, Quezon City, Philippines
Maria Rebecca Ferreras
Affiliation:
Archaeological Studies Program, University of the Philippines, Quezon City, Philippines
Dante Ricardo Manipon
Affiliation:
Archaeological Studies Program, University of the Philippines, Quezon City, Philippines
Trishia Gayle Palconit
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Italy
Gaddy Narte
Affiliation:
Maasin, Quezon Indigenous Cultural Community/Indigenous Peoples, Palawan, Philippines
Ame Garong
Affiliation:
National Museum of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines
*
*Author for correspondence ✉ jochoa@up.edu.ph
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Abstract

Throughout the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene, humans adapted to significant climate and environmental change. One key region for investigating these adaptive strategies is Island Southeast Asia, where fluctuating sea levels led to dramatic changes in coastlines, vegetation and fauna. The authors present new data from the re-excavation of Pilanduk Cave on Palawan Island, Philippines. The results corroborate the results of earlier excavations that identified Pleistocene occupation of the site. Pilanduk shows evidence for specialised deer hunting and freshwater mollusc consumption during the Last Glacial Maximum. The results add to the evidence for the shifting foraging behaviours of modern humans occupying variable tropical environments across Island Southeast Asia.

Keywords

PhilippinesPilanduk CavePalaeolithicMIS 2zooarchaeologysubsistenceforagers
Type
Research Article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 96 , Issue 389 , October 2022 , pp. 1072 - 1086
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd.

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