Archaeologists from The Australian National University (ANU), Flinders University, University College London (UCL) and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage have discovered thousands of stone artifacts and animal bones in Laili Cave, East Timor.
The findings, published this week in Nature Communications, indicate that ancient humans inhabited the area around 44,000 years ago, prompting experts to reassess the timeline and routes of human migration to Australia.
In 2019, Sue O'Connor and her team at ANU unearthed ancient artifacts in the Laili cave in East Timor. Analysis of sediment layers dated to between 59,000 and 54,000 years ago suggests that humans did not arrive in the region until about 44,000 years ago.
The cave's prominent location and easy access to resources led researchers to believe that it would have been an obvious stop for ancient humans traveling through the area.
According to O'Connor, Timor Island has long been considered an early migration route for humans from Southeast Asia to Australia and Papua New Guinea. But these new discoveries challenge that theory.
Evidence shows that humans have been in Australia for 65,000 years, but only reached Timor about 44,000 years ago. This suggests that migration likely occurred through islands to the north instead.
She explained that the absence of humans on the island of Timor at least 50,000 years ago has significant implications, indicating a later arrival of ancient humans than previously thought. This analysis supports the theory that ancient human migration to Australia occurred via Papua New Guinea, rather than Timor Island, as previously thought.
The researchers concluded that migration to Timor was a major undertaking, as evidenced by the abundance of artifacts found at the site. They believe that ancient humans traveled to Timor from nearby Flores Island and mainland Southeast Asia and made extensive use of the cave, as evidenced by burn marks and footprints on the cave floor.
Dr. Shimona Kealy from the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific emphasized that their arrival in Timor was not accidental, but rather a major colonization effort marked by a significant number of people making the journey. In addition, these findings highlight the advanced maritime technology of ancient humans, including boat building and their courage in navigating the seas.
