Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture, History and Language, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia.
ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia.
Sci Rep. 2024 Jan 2;14(1):282. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-50294-y.
The insular region of Wallacea has become a focal point for studying Pleistocene human ecological and cultural adaptations in island environments, however, little is understood about early burial traditions during the Pleistocene. Here we investigate maritime interactions and burial practices at Ratu Mali 2, an elevated coastal cave site on the small island of Kisar in the Lesser Sunda Islands of eastern Indonesia dated to 15,500-3700 cal. BP. This multidisciplinary study demonstrates extreme marine dietary adaptations, engagement with an extensive exchange network across open seas, and early mortuary practices. A flexed male and a female, interred in a single grave with abundant shellfish and obsidian at Ratu Mali 2 by 14.7 ka are the oldest known human burials in Wallacea with established funerary rites. These findings highlight the impressive flexibility of our species in marginal environments and provide insight into the earliest known ritualised treatment of the dead in Wallacea.
华莱士区已成为研究更新世人类在岛屿环境中生态和文化适应的焦点，但对更新世早期的丧葬传统知之甚少。在这里，我们研究了位于印度尼西亚东小巽他群岛小岛屿基萨岛上的一个高地沿海洞穴遗址——拉图·马里 2 号（Ratu Mali 2）的海上互动和埋葬习俗。该遗址的年代可追溯至 15500-3700 calibrated BP。这项多学科研究表明，人类在极端的海洋环境中有着特殊的饮食适应能力，与广泛的跨洋交换网络有着紧密联系，同时还有着早期的丧葬习俗。14700 年前，在拉图·马里 2 号，一男一女被弯曲着埋葬在一个墓穴中，墓中还有大量的贝类和黑曜石，这是已知的华莱士区最早具有丧葬仪式的人类埋葬。这些发现突出了我们人类在边缘环境中令人印象深刻的灵活性，并为了解华莱士区最早的已知的对死者的仪式化处理提供了线索。
