一项新的研究挑战了人们长期以来对早期海洋技术的看法，揭示了来自菲律宾和东南亚岛屿（ISEA）的古代海员可能在4万多年前就已经掌握了先进的造船技能。

这一发现早于费迪南德·麦哲伦和郑和等著名探险家，表明该地区的早期人类拥有广泛的航海知识。

这项由Ateneo和Alfred Pawlik发表在《考古科学杂志》上的研究反驳了技术进步只局限于欧洲和非洲的传统观点。

他们的发现表明，东南亚的史前岛民并不是靠脆弱的木筏被动漂流的人，而是有能力进行长途航行的熟练造船者。

ISEA从未通过陆桥或冰原与亚洲大陆相连，但早期人类居住的痕迹很明显。这就提出了一个关键的问题——这些古代人是如何到达并居住在这些岛屿上的？

这项研究调查了表明早期人类掌握了深海导航的线索。

由于木船的易腐性，很难找到直接的考古证据。然而，在菲律宾、印度尼西亚和东帝汶的研究结果提供了间接但令人信服的线索。

通过对这些遗址出土的古代石器的显微分析，有些石器可以追溯到4万年前，发现了植物纤维加工的痕迹，表明绳索、网和绑带的创造——这些都是造船和深海捕鱼的重要组成部分。

在民都洛岛和东帝汶的发掘进一步支持了这一理论。金枪鱼和鲨鱼等深海鱼类的遗骸，以及鱼钩、网重和峡谷等捕鱼工具，表明史前岛民在开阔水域积极捕鱼。

这些大型远洋鱼类并不生活在浅海水域，它们的出现表明这些早期人类具有先进的海上航行能力。

研究人员说：“在这些地点发现的大型掠食性远洋鱼类的遗骸，表明了先进的航海能力，以及对这些鱼类的季节性和迁徙路线的了解。”

捕鱼工具的发现突出表明，需要坚固耐用的绳索来捕捉海洋动物，这支持了复杂海洋技术的存在。

研究结果表明，这些早期人类并不依赖于简单的木筏，而是使用有机复合材料建造坚固的船只，并用植物绳加固。

他们在绳索制作、捕鱼和航海方面的技能表明，他们是探险家，可以在遥远的海洋中航行，到达新的岛屿。

以前，人们认为只有后来的文明才发展出航海技术。如果早期东南亚人拥有穿越深海的工具和知识，他们可能早在有记录的历史之前就在人类迁徙和文化交流中发挥了至关重要的作用。

受多年在西民都洛省伊林岛实地考察的启发，Fuentes和Pawlik与宿务大学的海军建筑师合作，启动了第一个远程公海船只（FLOW）项目。

该计划将利用当地可获得的材料重建和测试古代造船技术，以更好地了解史前航海方法。

FLOW项目旨在确定早期人类是如何在缺乏幸存船只残骸的情况下跨越海洋的。像木材和纤维这样的有机材料很少能在考古记录中幸存下来，这使得人类历史的这一方面成为一个永恒的谜团。

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英文原文

A new study challenges the long-held beliefs about early maritime technology, revealing that ancient seafarers from the Philippines and Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) may have developed advanced boat-building skills over 40,000 years ago.



This finding predates renowned explorers like Ferdinand Magellan and Zheng He and suggests that early humans in the region had extensive seafaring knowledge.



The research published in the Journal of Archaeological Science by Ateneo and Alfred Pawlik contradicts the traditional belief that technological advancements were only limited to Europe and Africa.



Their findings reveal that prehistoric islanders in Southeast Asia were not passive drifters on flimsy rafts but skilled boat builders capable of intentional long-distance voyages.



ISEA was never connected to mainland Asia by land bridges or ice sheets, yet early human habitation is evident. This raises a crucial question- how did these ancient populations reach and inhabit these islands?



The study investigates clues that suggest early humans mastered deep-sea navigation.



Due to the perishable nature of wooden boats, direct archaeological evidence is hard to find. However, findings in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste provide indirect but compelling clues.



Microscopic analysis of ancient stone tools from these sites, some dating back 40,000 years, revealed traces of plant fibre processing, indicating the creation of ropes, nets and bindings-essential components for boatbuilding and deep-sea fishing.



Excavations in Mindoro and Timor-Leste further support this theory. Remains of deep-sea fish like tuna and sharks, along with fishing implements like hooks, net weights and gorges, suggest that prehistoric islanders actively fished in open waters.



The presence of such large pelagic fish, which do not inhabit shallow coastal waters, shows that these early humans had the capability for advanced maritime navigation.



“The remains of large predatory pelagic fish in these sites indicate the capacity for advanced seafaring and knowledge of the seasonality and migration routes of those fish species,” the researchers said.



The discovery of fishing tools highlights the need for strong and durable ropes for catching marine fauna, supporting the existence of sophisticated maritime technology.



Findings reveal that these early humans did not rely on *** rafts but constructed sturdy boats using organic composite materials reinforced with plant-based ropes.



Their skills in rope-making, fishing, and navigation imply they were explorers who navigated vast ocean distances to reach new islands.



Previously, there were assumptions that only later civilisations developed maritime expertise. If early Southeast Asians had the tools and knowledge to traverse deep waters, they may have played a crucial role in human migration and cultural exchanges long before recorded history.



Inspired by years of fieldwork on Ilin Island in Occidental Mindoro, Fuentes and Pawlik launched the First Long-Distance Open-Sea Watercrafts (FLOW) Project in collaboration with naval architects from the University of Cebu.



This initiative will reconstruct and test ancient boat-building techniques using locally available materials to better understand prehistoric seafaring methods.



The FLOW project aims to determine how early humans achieved ocean crossings despite the lack of surviving boat remains. Organic materials like wood and fibre rarely survive in archaeological records, making this aspect of human history an enduring mystery.

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