Petraglia Michael, Clarkson Christopher, Boivin Nicole, Haslam Michael, Korisettar Ravi, Chaubey Gyaneshwer, Ditchfield Peter, Fuller Dorian, James Hannah, Jones Sacha, Kivisild Toomas, Koshy Jinu, Lahr Marta Mirazón, Metspalu Mait, Roberts Richard, Arnold Lee
Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, United Kingdom.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Jul 28;106(30):12261-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0810842106. Epub 2009 Jul 20.
Genetic studies of South Asia's population history have led to postulations of a significant and early population expansion in the subcontinent, dating to sometime in the Late Pleistocene. We evaluate this argument, based on new mtDNA analyses, and find evidence for significant demographic transition in the subcontinent, dating to 35-28 ka. We then examine the paleoenvironmental and, particularly, archaeological records for this time period and note that this putative demographic event coincides with a period of ecological and technological change in South Asia. We document the development of a new diminutive stone blade (microlithic) technology beginning at 35-30 ka, the first time that the precocity of this transition has been recognized across the subcontinent. We argue that the transition to microlithic technology may relate to changes in subsistence practices, as increasingly large and probably fragmented populations exploited resources in contracting favorable ecological zones just before the onset of full glacial conditions.
该次大陆曾在更新世晚期的某个时候经历过一次大规模且早期的人口扩张。基于新的线粒体DNA分析，我们对这一观点进行了评估，发现了该次大陆在35000 - 28000年前发生重大人口转变的证据。接着，我们研究了这一时期的古环境记录，尤其是考古记录，并注意到这一假定的人口事件与南亚生态和技术变革时期相吻合。我们记录了一种新型小型石刃（细石器）技术从35000 - 30000年前开始的发展情况，这是首次在整个次大陆范围内认识到这一转变的早熟性。我们认为，向细石器技术的转变可能与生存方式的变化有关，因为就在全冰期开始之前，越来越多且可能分散的人口在收缩的适宜生态区域内开发资源。
