Study Reveals Ancient Asian Seafarers Mastered Boatbuilding 40,000 Years Ago

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…

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