ZG

South-East-Asian-Center

Southeast Asian Center of Origin

Climate of Southeast Asia

  • Generally tropical climate

    • Includes wet and dry seasons, rainforests, and monsoons

  • Subtropical climate found in Northern Vietnam and Myanmar

Geographic Regions

  1. Maritime Southeast Asia

    • Countries include: Indonesia, East Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, East Timor, and Brunei

  2. Mainland Southeast Asia (Indochina)

    • Countries include: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and West Malaysia

Plants Originating from Southeast Asia

  • Cereals and Legumes: Wet and Dry-land rice, Job’s tears, Velvet Bean

  • Fruits: Citrus fruits, Banana, Breadfruit

  • Oils, Sugars, and Tubers: Coconut, Sugarcane, Taro, Yams

  • Others: Abaca

Archaeobotany in Southeast Asia

  • Floatation Method: Technique for recovering animal bones, seeds, and cultural remains from soil

  • Limited success in archaeological sites due to:

    • Poor preservation of organic material in tropics (extreme humidity, exposure to weathering)

    • Lower density of macro-remains compared to drier environments

Origin of Agriculture in Southeast Asia

  • Believed to have started with slash-and-burn cultivation

  • Wet field cultivation likely introduced later through migrations

Early Inhabitants of Southeast Asia

  • Austronesians: Ancestors of the Maritime Southeast Asian region and Oceania

  • Austroasiatics: Ancestors of Mainland Southeast Asian region

  • New Guineans: Show linguistic evidence of being earliest inhabitants

Early Agriculturists in New Guinea (Evidence >6,000 y.a.)

  • Drainage of swamps and shifting cultivation of tubers on surrounding slopes

Theories on the Origin of Modern Day Southeast Asians

  1. Out of Taiwan

    • Migration of Austronesians from East Asia to Taiwan and Maritime Southeast Asia

  2. Out of Sundaland

    • Sundaland as the cradle of Asian population due to significant land exposure during the Last Glacial Maximum

Overview of Sundaland

  • Existed over 15,000 years ago

  • Exposed land included Gulf of Thailand and neighboring regions

  • Supported by geomorphological, biogeographical, palynological, and vegetation evidence

Migration through Sundaland

  • Possible ‘savanna corridor’ for human migration indicated by sediment evidence

  • Migration routes traced back 45,000 to 60,000 years (BP)

Origins out of Taiwan - China

  • Spread of agricultural lifestyle around 5,500 BP through southeast China and Taiwan

Language Families in Mainland Southeast Asia

  • Highly diverse linguistic landscape

  • Austroasiatic languages are among the earliest with others like Mon, Khmer, and Vietnamese emerging later

Austronesian Dispersal Across Southeast Asia and Pacific

  • Colonization phases show agriculture developing independently in regions like New Guinea

  • Migration patterns lead to spread through the Philippines, Indonesia, and beyond

Evidence from Archaeological Sites

Spirit Cave (Thailand)

  • Excavated by Chester Gorman in 1966

  • Occupied by hunters from 11,500 to 7,500 BP

  • Evidence of various tree crops and vegetables

Lie Siri and Uai Bobo Caves (East Timor)

  • Dating as much as 14,000 BP

  • Fire use and various crops like candle nut and maize found

Site Findings Summary

  • Numerous archaeological sites indicate various techniques like flotation and sieving used for recovery of plant remains

  • Findings include rice tempered pottery and evidence of agricultural practices across multiple regions

Plants Originating from Southeast Asia - Details

Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.)

  • Centre of origin: Malaysia/Indonesia

  • Evidence includes fossils dating back millions of years

  • Dissemination occurred via boats

  • Domestication across Asia, Pacific Islands, Africa, and Latin America

Taro (Colocasia esculenta)

  • Centre of origin: Malaysia, India

  • Human-assisted dissemination

  • Domestication across various regions including Nigeria and China

Yams (Dioscorea sp.)

  • Originated from Indonesia/Southeast Asia

  • Carried by humans to different regions over time

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)

  • Origin: Various regions including Papua New Guinea and Southeast Asia

  • Dispersal linked to Polynesian migrations

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)

  • Origin: Papua New Guinea, Polynesia

  • Spread to various regions due to migration properties

Rice (Oryza sativa)

  • Key evidence from fossils and genetic samples points to Southeast Asia as a major area of domestication

Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan)

  • Originated in India and West Africa, disseminated to various regions

Mungbean (Vigna radiata)

  • Origin: Indian subcontinent

  • Introduced widely across southeastern regions

Citrus Species

  • Origin: Australia and Southeast Asia

  • First disseminated from Malay regions to the west

Banana (Musa sp.)

  • Origin: Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea

  • One of the most widely domesticated fruits across regions

Abaca (Musa textilis)

  • Originated in the Philippines

  • Important fiber plant disseminated regionally

References

  • A comprehensive list of scholarly articles and texts was cited for information sources, encompassing studies on the origins and distribution of Southeast Asian crops and linguistic heritage.