Introduction

Southeast Asia is an arbitrary region whose definition is based on partly physical geographical factors, partly on cultural similarities, and partly according to politically defined areas. It comprises the modern nation states of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao (Laos), Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam - the ASEAN nations (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), and East Timor (Figure 1). Some would include the island of Taiwan. Physically, Southeast Asia is separated from India and much of China by high mountains, but if we were to ignore political boundaries, southeast China, including Hong Kong, would probably be seen as part as Southeast Asia. Another conflict between physical and political parameters arises in the case of eastern Indonesia. Much of Southeast Asia lies on the Sunda shelf which is separated from the Sahul shelf by deep water barriers. The Sahul shelf includes continental Australia and the surrounding islands of New Guinea and Tasmania. Irian Jaya, the western half of the island of New Guinea, is clearly part of Sahulland physically, but is part of Indonesia politically and is thus often included in Southeast Asia, rather than within the Australasian grouping.

This article discusses the archaeological evidence for the human occupation of Southeast Asia during the Pleistocene period, or Ice Age, which extended from c.2 million years ago to c. 10 000 years ago, when it was succeeded by the Holocene, or Recent, geological period. Since literacy did not reach Southeast Asia until well after the end of the Pleistocene, we are reliant on archaeological evidence to tell us the human history of that period. That evidence is variable in its distribution and quality, partly due to the fact that until the later twentieth century, archaeological research was a colonial activity, carried out in a somewhat disorganized fashion by people who were often not trained archaeologists. In the postcolonial era, research has increased in both quantity and quality, and new discoveries are frequently made. Thus, many questions do not have clear-cut or generally agreed answers but are subject to ongoing discussion and debate.