The Science of Human History in Asia and the Pacific

This series publishes research achievements that reconstruct human history in Asia and the Pacific, mainly in prehistory. Major topics covered in the series are paleoanthropology, archaeology, bioarchaeology, and human genetics, as well as zooarchaeology, archaeomethodology, environmental archaeology, geomorphology, and geochronology.

Asia occupies 30% of the earth's land area and is currently home to 60% of the world's population, who live in diverse climatic zones and landscapes. Across the adjacent vast Pacific Ocean region, many peoples have adapted to maritime, insular, and continental environments. Reconstructing humanity's past in this area in a scientific fashion is an essential aspect of world history.

The area records the history of human territorial expansion as well as diversification both physically and culturally. Asia was first occupied in the early Pleistocene, but it was modern humans who further advanced to the arctic zone and oceanic environments to colonize all of Asia as well as the Pacific region. Recent studies highlight the variability of pre-modern human groups in addition to the well-known Homo erectus that once populated the area, as exemplified by the discoveries of tiny Homo floresiensis from an Indonesian island, Neanderthals and enigmatic Denisovans from South Siberia. After the spread of modern humans, the area witnessed the development and adoption of farming and civilization in multiple locations, but also nourished distinct cultures in the particular environmental conditions afforded by the steppes, deserts, woodlands and oceanic islands. Because of this, the region is essential in understanding global issues such as human interactions with varied and changing Holocene natural environments, mechanisms of economic and sociopolitical diversification, and the emergence and development of complex societies.

Until now, much of this fascinating region remains relatively unknown in terms of the themes addressed in this series, with few cross-cutting regional studies and limited data sharing. The series promotes the publication of research that significantly advances our understanding of this important but under-studied part of the world.