Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – An extensive 15 year-long archaeological research, led by researchers from the Ateneo de Manila University has unveiled compelling evidence of maritime culture dating back over 35,000 years in the Philippine archipelago.
A map of Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) and the Sunda region as it appeared roughly 25,000 years ago at the height of the last Ice Age, with locations of archaeological sites surveyed by the Mindoro Archaeology Project. The sites yielded artifacts with remarkably similar characteristics despite separation by thousands of kilometers and deep waters that are almost impossible to cross without sufficiently advanced seafaring knowledge and technology. (Base Map: www.gebco.net, 2014)
This impressive and advanced culture played a crucial role in Southeast Asia, particularly in human migration, technological innovations, and long-distance intercultural relations, dating back over 35,000 years.
The Ateneo researchers’ latest publication presents comprehensive data and materials from the Mindoro Archaeology Project, including some of the oldest evidence of anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) in the Philippine archipelago, particularly in Occidental Mindoro on Ilin Island, San Jose, and Sta. Teresa, Magsaysay.
Mindoro, akin to the majority of the principal islands in the Philippines with the notable exception of Palawan, was historically not linked to mainland Southeast Asia through land bridges or ice sheets. Consequently, reaching this island necessitated traversing significant bodies of water.
The geographical isolation of these people likely contributed to the development of various marine technologies, making life easier for them.
They needed innovations in navigation techniques and vessel cnstruction enabling a safe passage through challenging waters effectively, and securing the resources essential for survival in this unique insular environment.
Samples of ancient technology discovered in and around Mindoro. Clockwise, from upper left: a bone fishing gorge (A) and a possible gorge fragment (B); hammer stones (A-F), pebble tools (G-L), and net sinkers (M, N); obsidian cutting tools from Mindoro (top) and Palawan (bottom), exhibiting similar chemical composition; and Tridacna giant clam shell adzes (A,B) and a shell tool (C). (CREDIT: Photos and figures by A. Pawlik; after Pawlik et al. 2025; Pawlik & Piper 2019; Neri et al., 2015)
Such advancements would undoubtedly have been crucial for ensuring a safe passage and securing the resources essential for survival in this unique insular environment.
There is evidence of sophisticated ancient technology on the Philippine islands, which is confirmed by a vafiety of discoveries of human remains, animal bones, shells, and tools made from stone, bone and shell. It shows that Mindoro’s early inhabitants successfully harnessed both terrestrial and marine resources.
Over 30, 000 years ago, they had seafaring skills to catch open-sea fish like bonito and shark, establishing connections with distant islands in Wallacea.
One of the particularly noteworthy discoveries is the innovative use of shells as a raw material for tools, dating back more than 30,000 years. This culminated in the manufacture of adzes from giant clam shells (Tridacna species), dating back 7,000-9,000 years ago. These tools bear a striking similarity to shell adzes found across the region of Island Southeast Asia, as well as on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, over 3,000 kilometers away.
Researchers have uncovered a human grave on Ilin Island, estimated to be approximately 5,000 years old. The body was interred in a fetal position and encased by limestone slabs both beneath and above it. This burial practice is reminiscent of other flexed burials identified throughout Southeast Asia, suggesting shared ideological and social influences across the region, extending from the mainland to remote islands.
Archaeological sites in Mindoro have uncovered evidence of culturally advanced inhabitants who were well-adapted both behaviorally and technologically to coastal and marine environments.
Along with nearby Philippine islands, Mindoro was part of a vast maritime network during the Stone Age. This network played a crucial role in developing cultural and technological exchanges among early human populations across Island Southeast Asia for thousands of years.
Written by Conny Waters – AncientPages.com Staff Writer
