Abstract
The task of this contribution is to rigorously test whether biological adaptations to agriculture, and the use of pottery for cooking, could explain late Holocene craniodental change in Indo-Malaysia – the part of Southeast Asia where my specialisation lies. There are now enough well-dated burial series from Sulawesi,
Borneo, Java and Malaya to test two main predictions of the Neolithic tooth-size reduction model: 1. Indo-Malaysian tooth-size should show continual reduction over time, not only between the pre-Neolithic and the Neolithic, but also continuing into the Early Metal Phase (EMP) and modern times; 2. Pre-Neolithic and late Holocene Indo-Malaysians should have similar tooth shape. Depending on the obtained results, the discussion will also briefly examine the efficacy of tooth-size reduction as a driver for late Holocene change in Indo-Malaysian cranial shape, and review recent insights from human genetic and
osteological comparisons.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Title of host publication | Taxonomic Tapestries: The Threads of Evolutionary, Behavioural and Conservation Research |
Editors | Alison M. Behie and Marc F. Oxenham |
Place of Publication | Canberra, Australia |
Publisher | ANU Press |
Pages | 183-214 |
Edition | 1st |
ISBN (Print) | 9781925022360 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2015 |