T15/S01: Deep Time Heritage. Critical Perspectives, and Future Opportunities [This session is currently closed]
Format: Paper presentations with discussion
Organisers: Martin Porr, Archaeology/Centre for Rock Art Research + Management, School of Social Sciences, University of Western Australia, Australia, martin.porr@uwa.edu.au
Shumon Hussain, University of Cologne, Germany, s.t.hussain@uni-koeln.de
Laura Mayer, University of Western Australia, Australia, laura.mayer@uwa.edu.au
The proposed session is aimed at introducing the study of Deep Time Heritage as a new field of research and critical engagement. The notion of Deep Time Heritage cursorily refers to evidence that is dated to the Pliocene, Pleistocene, Early Holocene and/or is the product of mostly mobile hunting/gathering/fishing societies. It refers to material evidence informing the understanding of human evolution before the dawn of modes of existence predicated on farming and animal domestication. These categories, however, are not exclusive and themselves open to critique and topics of critical engagement. They are starting points for informed explorations. We want to encourage discussions about heritage processes around these categories of archaeological and material evidence and about related historical and contemporary trajectories and structures, and specific analytical frameworks and tools.
Deep Time Heritage has so far not been systematically, theoretically, and comparatively explored. Within (critical) heritage studies, Plio/Pleistocene and Palaeolithic heritage and the heritage of hunting/gathering/fishing societies is largely undiscussed. There have so far been no attempts to view Deep Time Heritage from a Global North/Global South perspective and how these aspects must be related to each other historically and epistemologically. Framing the deep past as a heritage concern also helps to better understand that we do not only need to talk about “matters of fact” but also about “matters of concern” (Latour), and that empirical evidence is never neutral or innocent. It requires critical contextualisation, conceptual analysis, and affirmative placement in the present. The power of the past, and especially the deep past, to steer action in the present make it timely and necessary to reflexively monitor and guide such processes. These questions are particularly pertinent in the context of Indigenous heritage and the conflicts surrounding it, in which Indigenous voices and understandings continue to be neglected, marginalised, or even erased.
T15/S02: Human Evolutionary History of Eastern Asia During the Past 300,000 Years
Format: Paper presentations with discussion
Organisers: Shixia Yang, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, yangshixia@ivpp.ac.cn
Michael Petraglia, Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia,m.petraglia@griffith.edu.au
Xijun Ni, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, nixijun@ivpp.ac.cn
Yosuke Kaifu, The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, gokaifu@gmail.com
Junyi Ge, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, gejunyi@ivpp.ac.cn
The past 300,000 years witnesses the origin and dispersal of our species, Homo sapiens, and the co-existence of other sister groups in the Late Quaternary, showing a complex evolutionary history. Eastern Asia, as a vast geographic area with diverse ecological niches, remains poorly understood, with the need to better understand the evolutionary history of Homo sapiens and their potential relationships with sister groups. This session is aimed at introducing new environmental, fossil, genetic and archaeological evidence from Eastern Asia over the past 300,000 years.
With growing interdisciplinary research, new information is being developed about the potential presence of multiple hominin lineages in Eastern Asia (e.g. early modern humans, Denisovans, H. longi and H. juluensis). Meanwhile, increased study of archaeological sites and assemblages has revealed cases of advanced tool kits and complex behaviours (e.g. ochre exploitation, advanced weaponry, beads). Given that new fossil and behavioural findings raise questions about the biological and cultural heritage of human populations, new multi- and inter-disciplinary research is needed across Eastern Asia
T15/S03: Human Origins and Evolving Cultures in Southern Asia Over the Last 300,000 Years
Format: Paper presentations with discussion
Organisers: Devara Anil, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, India, devara.anilkumar@gmail.com
Gopesh Jha, Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany, gjha@gea.mpg.de
Faisal Aljibrin, Heritage Commission, Saudi Ministry of Culture, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, faljibrin@moc.gov.sa
Abdullah Alsharekh, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, asharekh@ksu.edu.sa
Michael Petraglia, Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, m.petraglia@griffith.edu.au
Southern Asia, extending from the Arabian Peninsula to Australia, has been the focus of intense interest for understanding human dispersals in the Middle and Late Pleistocene. The last 300,000 years encompasses the extinction of archaic hominins in Southern Asia and interbreeding with Homo sapiens. The circumstances behind hominin extinctions and expansions are poorly known. Here we will investigate the archaeological record of Southern Asia, examining the behavioural record, situating it in the various, changing ecosystems of Southern Asia. The co-existence of multiple technological trajectories, particularly in the Late Pleistocene, underscores the diversification and regionalisation, highlighting the complexity of cultural processes such as convergence and population expansion, contraction, and diffusion. Understanding the relationships and interactions among hominin populations across Southern Asia is crucial for reconstructing human evolutionary history. Recent research across this region has not only underscored its pivotal role in understanding human behavioural evolution, but has also challenged several prevailing perspectives in the field of human evolutionary studies. Against this backdrop, the current session invites papers focusing on Palaeolithic sites that employ multidisciplinary approaches to provide significant insights into ongoing debates on human behavioural evolution.
T15/S04: Human Origins and Dynamic Ecosystems in Africa over the last 300,000 Years
Format: Paper presentations & posters with discussion
Organisers:
Rahab N. Kinyanjui, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya and Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Germany, rkinyanji@gmail.com; kinyanjui@gea.mpg.de
Emma Mbua, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya, enmbua@gmail.com
Christine A. Ogola, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya, cogola@gmail.com
Africa is a renowned region in human origin studies and the interplay between early humans and their surrounding environments over the last 300,000 years. This period is significant as it is when Homo sapiens emerged. Additionally, this period records significant ecological and cultural transitions that shaped the pathways of human development. Climatic fluctuations and vegetation shifts presented both opportunities and challenges for the human populations. The session explores the coevolution of humans and their ecosystems, highlighting how these dynamics spurred adaptability, technological innovation and resilience. Understanding these past interactions provides critical insights on how humans survived increased environmental fluctuations.
The session conveners encourage submission of abstracts on their paleo-research projects from African archaeological and paleoanthropological sites. We particularly welcome contributions from a broad collaborative spectrum with an interdisciplinary approach on the coevolution of humans and their environment in Africa.
T15/S05: Microarchaeology – Using Micro-analytical Techniques to Elucidate the Deep Environmental Past and the Evolution of our Species
Format: Paper presentations with discussion
Organisers:
Mike W. Morley, Flinders Microarchaeology Laboratory, Archaeology, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, mike.morley@flinders.edu.au
Vito, P.C. Hernandez, Biogeography, Environment, Evolution and Climate Laboratory, Institute of Environmental Sciences and Meteorology, University of the Philippines-Diliman, Philippines; Archaeology, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, vito.hernandez@flinders.edu.au
Michelle Eusebio, School of Archaeology, Albert Hall, Lakandula Street, University of the Philippines-Diliman, Philippines, mseusebio@up.edu.ph
Alison Crowther, School of Social Science, Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia, a.crowther@uq.edu.au
This session explores the potential of microarchaeology in addressing big questions and grand challenges in the field of human evolution over the past 300,000 years. Microarchaeology is a nascent archaeological science discipline that involves the use of micro-scale analytical techniques to explore and reconstruct the deep past and elucidate the ways our Pleistocene ancestors interacted with the environment. The use of microarchaeology to investigate archaeological and fossil sites is gaining traction, with techniques such as microstratigraphy, micro-contextualised isotopic analyses and biomolecular archaeology leading the way in teasing out new data providing insightful nuance to evolutionary narratives. With massive advances in scientific instrumentation that are increasingly economically viable, archaeological science laboratories that generate these types of data are becoming increasingly common and these techniques are emerging as pivotal
This session invites contributions from archaeological and palaeoanthropological scientists working in the field of human evolution, and generating micro-scale data to examine the archaeological, fossil and environmental record. We aim to showcase how this approach can shed light on human evolution globally, but especially in regions critical to understanding the evolution and dispersal of Late Pleistocene modern humans, such as East Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Australia. Case studies are sought that demonstrate how these methods can reveal insights into critical research areas such as human responses to shifts in Pleistocene climate, and the formation and preservation of the archaeological and fossil record. Additionally, those that emphasise the importance of co-designed research with Indigenous and local communities, as well as contributions from early career academics and scholars, are particularly welcome. By showcasing high-resolution analytical frameworks, this session aligns with the aim of the theme, generating new insights into the evolutionary history of our species, while underscoring the resilience and vulnerability of Homo sapiens as a species adapting to a diversity of environments.