The Philippines holds a strategic position at the intersection of continental and maritime East Asia. In recent times, collaborative studies have yielded numerous findings that challenge conventional perspectives on human evolution, migration, expansion, and adaptation. The region has become a focal point for deep-time archaeology, with discoveries such as previously unknown human fossils, the earliest rock art, the colonization of the island world of Wallacea, and the exploration of Australia by early modern humans (H. sapiens), who were likely the first seafarers capable of navigating long distances and organizing voyages to isolated islands over 30,000 years ago.
Within this context, the archaeological research conducted by the TRACES team takes place. TRACES is an Areté Sandbox Co-lab and is part of the Anthropological and Sociological Initiatives of the Ateneo (ASIA), which conducts field and laboratory research dedicated to the archaeology and paleoanthropology of the region. The members of this collaborative and interdisciplinary institution will present an overview of their research at the Ateneo and their ongoing case studies on the deep-time history of the Philippines and neighboring regions. Recent findings from various archaeological sites shed light on how specific environments and changing climates have influenced the behavioral, technological, and cultural evolution of our species since they arrived in the oceanic world of Southeast Asia. This panel will provide updates on current fieldwork and research in Mindoro, the Visayas, and Sulawesi, and present our vision of a future archaeology that integrates new technologies and community-based knowledge.
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Early humans in the Philippines – Migration, Adaptation, and Behaviour in Maritime Environments
Dr. Alfred F. Pawlik
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Anthropological and Sociological Initiatives of the Ateneo
School of Social Sciences
Ateneo de Manila University
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Archaeological research in the Philippines has produced a timeline of currently over 700,000 years of human occupation. However, while an initial presence of early hominins has been securely established through several radiometric dates between 700ka-1ma from Luzon Island, there is currently little evidence for the presence of hominins after those episodes until c. 67-50ka for Luzon or any of the other Philippine islands. At around 40ka, anatomically modern humans had arrived in the Philippines. Early sites with fossil and/or artifactual evidence are Tabon Cave in Palawan and Bubog 1 in Occidental Mindoro, the latter situated in the Wallacean part of the archipelago. This paper presents an overview of the archaeological research on the prehistory of the Philippines from the Pleistocene until the Late Holocene and the arrival of the first farmers, presumably from Austronesian language groups about 4000 years ago. Research on this topic has significantly intensified over the past 20 years and is providing a variety of evidence for the successful adaptation of those first islanders to maritime environments, the diversity of technological and subsistence strategies, and increasingly complex interrelationships across Island Southeast Asia.
The current status of prehistoric plant working and sea crossings in Pleistocene Wallacea
Dr. Riczar B. Fuentes
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Anthropological and Sociological Initiatives of the Ateneo
School of Social Sciences
Ateneo de Manila University
Experimentation is one way to address questions in archaeological research and prehistoric migrations. One of the more important questions in Wallacea is prehistoric sea crossings from mainland SEA to Sahul land or modern-day Australia. The question on whether humans were able to cross has already been addressed however the question of why and how humans moved to this part of the region still need to be addressed. In this paper we focus on experimental work across several time periods that specifically deals with the question on the presence of organic technology and plant working and how these relate to the invisible seacrafts that were used in the Pleistocene in ISEA. Here we review the ongoing research and previous work to identify this in the archaeological record and also place all the relevant pieces of evidence into their context and chronological sequence. We highlight the role of plant working, specifically fibre extraction in the migrations toward island Southeast Asia in the last 45 thousand years ago. Overall, we propose a review of technological innovations associated with seafaring and prehistoric movements – more on the how rather than the when. We review the current state of research on direct and indirect pieces of evidence of prehistoric plant technology and discuss this in the context of sea crossings.
From Consumption to Disposal: Uncovering Dietary Practices and Methodological Challenges in Garbology
Brent B. Soriano
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Anthropological and Sociological Initiatives of the Ateneo
School of Social Sciences
Ateneo de Manila University
Archaeology is a discipline that studies human origins and history through field survey and excavation, and the analysis of the retrieved material. The presented exploratory research attempts to apply the fundamental archaeological methods as well as to reconstruct the recent past human diet practices through unearthed assemblages of garbage deposits in a rehabilitated sanitary landfill located in Batangas City, Batangas. In this context, the food-related deposits from the rehabilitated sanitary landfill are treated as an archaeological record. Site mapping, excavation, stratigraphy, documentation and material analysis were conducted but there were challenges identified throughout the fieldwork. The knowledge output for this study is the reconstructed food consumption behavior of the recent past urban-rural communities. From the data collected from the landfill deposits, it shows that bread and chips are the highest consumed dietary options among the recent past communities of Batangas City because of its accessibility, economic considerations, and taste. The resulting findings and experiences were incorporated into the body of the study for future research and improvement of the methodology. Thus, the results of my study will provide opportunities to future researchers who wish to work and explore garbology in the Philippines.
Beyond Excavation – Archaeology at the Intersection of Research, Heritage Preservation, and Community Participation
Dr. Tanya Uldin
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Anthropological and Sociological Initiatives of the Ateneo
School of Social Sciences
Ateneo de Manila University
The Mindoro Archaeological Project has overseen ten years of fieldwork on Ilin Island and the surrounding areas. Right from the outset, the Local Government Unit (LGU) of San Jose, the Tourism Office, and the local communities have provided logistical and manpower support for our archaeological fieldwork. Unfortunately, the initial interaction with local schoolteachers and the support for a local museum initiative have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the analysis of most of the excavated artifacts and other remains has produced new and fascinating insights that could help establish a link between local fishing communities and their ancestral heritage. This paper aims to explore our encounters with and prospects regarding community engagement, archaeological research, and guidelines for strategies related to the preservation of local heritage.