Study says ancient Filipinos had seafaring before Europe, Africa
A study from the Ateneo de Manila University reveals that ancient Filipinos mastered deep-sea fishing and seafaring 40,000 years ago.
It suggests that the Philippines had Paleolithic technology. As a result, it challenges the belief that only Africa and Europe possessed it. Interesting Engineering says:
READ: Fish extinction declared first caused by humans
“Archeological investigations have historically favored areas of interest to Western scholars, which led to an uneven understanding of global prehistory.”
Ancient Filipinos were masters of fishing and seafaring
AdMU researchers Riczar Fuentes and Alfred Pawlik gained inspiration for this research after fieldwork in Ilin Island, Occidental Mindoro.
They started the “First Long-Distance Open-Sea Watercrafts” (FLOW) project to test paleolithic-era raw materials and seacraft models.
The Ateneo de Manila University supported FLOw with a research grant and collaborates with the University of Cebu naval architects.
Eventually, they found stone tools that ancient Filipinos likely used to make ropes, nets, and bindings for fishing boats.
The researchers stated:
“We highlight the role of plant fiber extraction for making cordage and rope as one of the key features of a seafaring culture.”
Moreover, excavations in Timor-Leste and Mindoro uncovered fishing tools and the remains of tuna, sharks, and other deep ocean fish.
“The remains of large predatory pelagic fish in these sites indicated the capacity for advanced seafaring and knowledge of the seasonality and migration routes of those fish species.”
In other words, ancient Filipinos built sophisticated boats with plant-based ropes to hold marine wildlife.
As a result, the findings suggest that Southeast Asians had deliberate and technologically advanced seafaring thousands of years ago.
This study challenges the notion that they were mere passive sea drifters on flimsy bamboo rafts.
More importantly, it highlights the ingenuity of early Filipino people and their neighbors.
The researchers published their findings in ScienceDirect with the title, “Testing the waters: Plant working seafaring in Pleistocene Wallacea.”
