Subject
Archaeological Research, Maritime Colonization, Sahul Continent, Australian Marsupials, Cassowary, Shared History, Indigenous Cultures, Maritime Societies, Sahul Shelf, Colonizing Routes, Evolution of Societies, Southeast Asian Archaeology

Domains
Archéologie, Histoire, Sciences Sociales, Sciences humaines

Description

The Aru Islands were connected to Greater Australia or Sahul until approximately 8,000 years ago, when they were separated by rising sea levels. The presence of marsupials and the cassowary on Aru indicates this shared history. The Aru Islands have the potential to register a multitude of maritime colonizing events through time due to their optimal position. They were part of a continuous landbridge to both Australia and New Guinea for at least the first 40,000 years that H. sapiens sapiens occupied Sahul. The Aru Islands are in a prime position to test models for shared histories between northern Australia, New Guinea, and island Southeast Asia and to examine the evolution of maritime societies. They are located on major colonizing routes and are positioned right on the edge of the Sahul Shelf. The planned work over the next few years will help initiate a range of new and significant projects related to the Aru Islands' shared histories and maritime colonizations.

Keywords

Language
English (en-GB)

Creators
Spriggs, Matthew, Veth, Peter, O'Connor, Susan

Contributors

Sources
Cakalele: Journal of Maluku Studies 9(2): 63-80.

Relation

Coverage
Aru Islands

Name of newspaper
Cakalele