Prehistoric Malaysia

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History of Malaysia
Prehistoric Malaysia Paleolithic  Lenggong Valley c. 2.000.0000 BCE  Mansuli Valley 235,000 BCE Mesolithic  Niah cultures 65,000–40,000 BCE Neolithic  Bewah man/woman 16,000 BCE  Perak man/woman 11,000–200 BCE  Neolithic Klang 500 – 200 BCE
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The earliest

, dating back 40,000 years.

Chronology

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235,000 years ago – Paleolithic (Early Stone Age)

The Niah Caves in Sarawak are an important prehistoric site where human remains dating to ca. 40,000 years ago have been found.^[1] Archaeologists have claimed a much earlier date for stone tools found in the Mansuli Valley, near Lahad Datu, Sabah, starting from 235,000 to 3,000 years ago. This makes it the oldest valley in Borneo prehistory that has been dated chronometrically.^[2]

Studies in Mansuli Valley and the discovery of other open sites in Sabah marked a new episode for the prehistory of Malaysia, with both open and cave sites providing the oldest dates yet for the prehistoric sites of Sabah. The cave site, Samang Buat Cave, was the oldest inhabited cave in Sabah and Borneo,^[3] dating back 46,000 years. The Mansuli open site was the oldest in Sabah and Borneo, in general, dating back 235,000 years. The findings at both sites gave a chronology of their prehistory which showed repetitive habitation at both sites.^[4]

10,000–5,000 years ago – Neolithic (New Stone Age)

Archaeological finds from the Lenggong Valley in Perak show that people were making stone tools and using jewellery. The archaeological data from this period came from cave and rock shelter sites and are associated with Hoabinhian hunter-gatherers. It is believed that Neolithic farmers arrived in this region between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago.^[5]

2,500 years ago – Bronze Age

More people arrived, including new tribes and seafaring Austronesians. The Malay Peninsula became a crossroads in the maritime trade of the ancient age. Seafarers who came to Malaysia's shores included Malayo-Polynesian people, Indians and possibly Chinese traders among others. Ptolemy named the Malay Peninsula the Golden Chersonese.

Migration theories

Sundaland theory

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A study from

A 2009 genetic study published by the 2009 Human Genome Organization Pan-Asian SNP Consortium found that Asia was originally settled by humans via a single southern route. The migration came from Africa via India, into Southeast Asia and what are now islands in the Pacific, and then later up to the eastern and northern Asian mainland.^[7]

Genetic similarities were found between populations throughout Asia and an increase in genetic diversity from northern to southern latitudes. Although the Chinese population is very large, it has less variation than the smaller number of individuals living in Southeast Asia, because the Chinese expansion occurred very recently, following the development of rice agriculture – within only the last 10,000 years.^{[citation needed]}

Oppenheimer locates the origin of the Austronesians in Sundaland and its upper regions.^[8] Genetic research reported in 2008 indicates that the islands which are the remnants of Sundaland were likely populated as early as 50,000 years ago, contrary to a previous hypothesis^{[by whom?]} that they were populated as late as 10,000 years ago from Taiwan.^{[9][dubious – discuss][10]}

Yunnan migration theory

The theory of the Proto-Malay people originating from Yunnan is supported by R.H Geldern, J.H.C Kern, J.R Foster, J.R Logen, Slametmuljana, and Asmah Haji Omar. The Proto Malay (Melayu Asli) who first arrived had agricultural skills while the second wave Deutero Malay (mixed blood)^[vague] who arrived around 1500 BC and dwelled along the coastlines had advanced fishery skills. During the migration, both groups intermarried with peoples of the southern islands, such as those from Java, and also with aboriginal peoples of Australo-Melanesian, Negrito and Melanesian origin.^{[citation needed]}

Other evidence that supports this theory includes:

• Stone tools found in the Malay Archipelago are analogous[
  which?
  ]
• Similarities[
  which?] and Assamese
  customs.

According to most scholars the Đông Yên Châu inscription from around the 4th century AD was written in Old Cham^[11] is the oldest Malay text found. However, some believe the inscription to contain the oldest examples of Malay words.^{[citation needed]} Chamic and Malayic languages are closely related; both are the two subgroups of a Malayic–Chamic group^[12] within the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian family.

The

The similarity of the Cambodian

• Early history of Burma
• Early history of Cambodia
• History of Southeast Asia
• Prehistoric Asia
• Prehistoric Indonesia
• Prehistoric Thailand

References