Abstract We report archaeological findings from a significant new cave site on Alor Island, Indonesia, with an in situ basal date of 40,208–38,454 cal BP. Twenty thousand years older than the earliest Pleistocene site previously known from this island, Makpan retains dense midden deposits of marine shell, fish bone, urchin and crab remains, but few terrestrial species; demonstrating that protein requirements over this time were met almost exclusively from the sea. The dates for initial occupation at Makpan indicate that once Homo sapiens moved into southern Wallacea, settlement of the larger islands in the archipelago occurred rapidly. However, the Makpan sequence also suggests that the use of the cave following initial human arrival was sporadic prior to the terminal Pleistocene about 14,000 years ago, when occupation became intensive, culminating in the formation of a midden. Like the coastal sites on the larger neighbouring island of Timor, the Makpan assemblage shows that maritime technology in the Pleistocene was highly developed in this region. The Makpan assemblage also contains a range of distinctive personal ornaments made on Nautilus shell, which are shared with sites located on Timor and Kisar supporting connectivity between islands from at least the terminal Pleistocene. Makpan’s early inhabitants responded to sea-level change by altering the way they used both the site and local resources. Marine food exploitation shows an initial emphasis on sea-urchins, followed by a subsistence switch to molluscs, barnacles, and fish in the dense middle part of the sequence, with crabs well represented in the later occupation. This new record provides further insights into early modern human movements and patterns of occupation between the islands of eastern Nusa Tenggara from ca. 40 ka.

中文翻译：

---

亚罗岛（印度尼西亚）不断变化的海岸线附近四万年的海上生活

摘要我们报告了印度尼西亚亚罗岛一个重要的新洞穴遗址的考古发现，原位基准日期为 40,208-38,454 cal BP。Makpan 比该岛上已知的最早更新世遗址早两万年，保留了密集的海洋贝壳、鱼骨、海胆和螃蟹遗骸的中间沉积物，但很少有陆地物种；证明这段时间的蛋白质需求几乎完全来自海洋。Makpan 最初占领的日期表明，一旦智人迁入华莱士南部，群岛中较大岛屿的定居就迅速发生。然而，Makpan 序列也表明，在大约 14,000 年前的更新世末期之前，人类最初到达后对洞穴的使用是零星的，当时占领变得密集，最终形成一个midden。与邻近较大的帝汶岛上的沿海遗址一样，Makpan 组合表明该地区更新世的海洋技术高度发达。Makpan 组合还包含一系列在鹦鹉螺壳上制作的独特个人装饰品，这些装饰品与位于帝汶和基萨尔的遗址共享，至少从更新世末期支持岛屿之间的连接。Makpan 的早期居民通过改变他们使用场地和当地资源的方式来应对海平面变化。海洋食物开发显示最初强调海胆，然后在序列的密集中间部分转向软体动物、藤壶和鱼类，蟹在后来的职业中得到很好的体现。这项新记录提供了对大约 10 年以来努沙登加拉岛东部岛屿之间早期现代人类运动和占领模式的进一步见解。40 卡。