Anatomically modern human in Southeast Asia (Laos) by 46 ka

Abstract

Uncertainties surround the timing of modern human emergence and occupation in East and Southeast Asia. Although genetic and archeological data indicate a rapid migration out of Africa and into Southeast Asia by at least 60 ka, mainland Southeast Asia is notable for its absence of fossil evidence for early modern human occupation. Here we report on a modern human cranium from Tam Pa Ling, Laos, which was recovered from a secure stratigraphic context. Radiocarbon and luminescence dating of the surrounding sediments provide a minimum age of 51-46 ka, and direct U-dating of the bone indicates a maximum age of ~63 ka. The cranium has a derived modern human morphology in features of the frontal, occipital, maxillae, and dentition. It is also differentiated from western Eurasian archaic humans in aspects of its temporal, occipital, and dental morphology. In the context of an increasingly documented archaic-modern morphological mosaic among the earliest modern humans in western Eurasia, Tam Pa Ling establishes a definitively modern population in Southeast Asia at ~50 ka cal BP. As such, it provides the earliest skeletal evidence for fully modern humans in mainland Southeast Asia.

Fig. 1.

Site of TPL, Laos. TPL is located on the upper plateau of the Pa Hang Mountain, with the Tam Hang rock shelter lying at the mountain’s base. The 4-m stratigraphy shows the accumulation of sandy and silty clay layers punctuated by six powdery limestone precipitates (a–f) from the TPL trench. Provenance of the charcoals sampled for ¹⁴C dating and soil sampled for OSL and TL dating is identified on the stratigraphy. TPL 1 was lying at a depth of 2.35 m. Inset: Location of TPL in Huà Pan Province, Laos.

Fig. 2.

Human fossil remains designated as TPL 1. (A) frontal bone in norma facialis; (B) frontal bone in in norma verticalis; (C) frontal bone in in norma basilaris; (D) occipital bone in norma verticalis; (E) occipital bone in norma basilaris; (F) right parietal bone in norma verticalis; (G) right parietal bone in norma basilaris; (H) left temporal bone with partial mastoid in norma lateralis, external; (I) left temporal bone with partial mastoid in norma lateralis, internal; (J) maxillae in norma facialis; (K) maxillae in norma verticalis; (L) maxillae in norma basilaris.