"Compared to paleoanthropological (human evolution) research in Africa and Europe, similar studies on Asia have lagged far behind. The purpose of this work is to partially rectify this discrepancy. The manuscript covers the eastern Asian record (including both East and Southeast Asia) from the earliest arrival of hominins (beginning during the Early Pleistocene) until the end of the last ice age (ca. 15,000 years ago) when the introduction of substantial site occupations and technology such as pottery that traditionally signals the transition from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic began to take place. This is considered one of the most important time periods in eastern Asian prehistory characterized by the earliest arrivals of hominins (e.g., Homo erectus or something else) and the movement of these and other hominin populations (e.g., H. neanderthalensis, H. longi, H. juluensis, H. floresiensis, H. luzonensis, modern H. sapiens, etc.) through the region occurred. Further, the Paleolithic archaeological record indicates significant innovations in the region. For instance, bifacially worked stone tools (hand axes) have been found in eastern Asia where they were previously considered to have been absent. Evidence indicates that the occupation of high-altitude regions (e.g., Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau) occurred well before the advent of plant and animal domestication. Watercraft was possibly used in order to colonize regions such as the Japanese Archipelago, surrounded by water some 40,000 years ago. It is now clear that in places like Indonesia art on the walls of caves are penecontemporaneous with the Upper Paleolithic cave paintings from southern France and northern Spain (Lascaux, Altamira)"--

Research in human evolution in Asia has long been thought to lag far behind similar research in Africa and Europe. However, the limited dissemination of findings is often to blame, rather than a lack of scholarship. The Paleoanthropology of Eastern Asia attempts to rectify this misconception by synthesizing research on human evolution in eastern Asia into a single authoritative and definitive text. Covering the span of time from more than two million years ago to the end of the last Ice Age 15,000 years ago, this book examines key events, such as the arrival of the earliest hominins in eastern Asia and the evolution and interaction of various hominin species, including Homo erectus, Homo sapiens, and and a few more in between. While fossils reveal what these hominins may have looked like, the rich Paleolithic archaeological record yields insights into their behavior: Hand axes have been found in eastern Asia where they were previously believed to have been absent. Watercraft was used by foragers as early as 40,000 years ago to voyage to the Japanese archipelago. In Indonesia, cave art paintings older than those from the Lascaux caves in France have been reported. Such new and important discoveries continue to emerge. Providing comprehensive coverage of paleoanthropological research in eastern Asia—from the groundbreaking finds in a cave near Beijing in the early twentieth century to the discovery and identification of new human species during the twenty-first century—this book will captivate anyone interested in the human evolutionary record.

This volume brings together a group of authors that address the question of the first out of Africa into Asia c. 2 Ma. The scope of the book is comprehensive as it covers almost every major region of Asia. The primary goal of this volume is to provide an updated synthesis of the current state of the Asian paleoanthropological and paleoenvironmental records. Papers include detailed studies of the theoretical constructs underlying the move out of Africa, including detailed reconstructions of the paleoenvironment and possible migration routes. Other papers detail the Plio-Pleistocene archaeological and hominin fossil records of particular regions.

One of the most dynamic research areas in the prehistory of East Asian regions is the synthesis of the findings of archaeology, linguistics and genetics. Several countries have only recently opened to field research and highly active local groups have made possible a raft of collaborative studies that would have been impossible even a decade ago. This book presents an overview of the most recent findings in all these fields. It will be of great interest to scholars of all disciplines working on the reconstruction of the East Asian past.

Despite the obvious geographic importance of eastern Asia in human migration, its discussion in the context of the emergence and dispersal of modern humans has been rare. Emergence and Diversity of Modern Human Behavior in Paleolithic Asia focuses long-overdue scholarly attention on this under-studied area of the world. Arising from a 2011 symposium sponsored by the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, this book gathers the work of archaeologists from the Pacific Rim of Asia, Australia, and North America, to address the relative lack of attention given to the emergence of modern human behavior as manifested in Asia during the worldwide dispersal from Africa.

This is the first volume of its kind on prehistoric cultures of South Asia. The book brings together archaeologists, biological anthropologists, geneticists and linguists in order to provide a comprehensive account of the history and evolution of human populations residing in the subcontinent. New theories and methodologies presented provide new interpretations about the cultural history and evolution of populations in South Asia.

Examines current understandings of human population histories, adaptations, dietary changes, and health variations within the geographical context of ancient east Asia.