Publisher's Synopsis
This study proposes a general culture history of northern Luzon from the late Pleistocene to the mid-Holocene period. Northern Luzon is an important area for reconstructing the prehistory of the Southeast Asian region, contributing to our understanding of the peopling of the Philippine Islands, from the Pleistocene foragers to the migration of the early Austronesians. This study synthesizes past and current archaeological research in the area, and presents new findings from archaeological excavations in the Peñablanca caves, which provide fresh data for reconstructing the transition from the Preceramic into the ceramic period. Recent excavations have provided the earliest dated evidence of human occupation in Luzon. Evidence from faunal identification, macrobotanical and phytolith remains show broad-spectrum subsistence strategies, and lithic analysis shows some changes from Late Pleistocene into early Holocene technology. Interaction between these foragers and the early Austronesian farmers of the Cagayan Valley was established by at least 3500 years ago.
