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Interpreting archaeological fish remains

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Jon M. Erlandson
Jon M. Erlandson*
Affiliation:
*Museum of Natural & Cultural History, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1224, USA
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Extract

In an important paper, O'Connor et al. (2011) described evidence for marine fishing from around 42 000-year-old (cal BP) deposits at Jerimalai Shelter on Timor-Leste. The paper's title referred to evidence for pelagic fishing and the maritime skills of anatomically modern humans (AMH). Considering that not long ago human seafaring and marine fishing were considered to be limited to the terminal Pleistocene or early Holocene (see Erlandson 2001), the paper's broader significance lies in the further evidence for Pleistocene voyaging required to colonise Timor-Leste and the quantities of fish bone that represent a substantial marine fishing effort at a relatively early date.

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Type
Debate
Information
Antiquity , Volume 87 , Issue 337 , September 2013, pp. 890 - 892
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 2013

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References

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