ABSTRACT
Wallacea – the island chain between Java and Borneo to the west, and Australia/New Guinea to the east – has produced major surprises in the recent years. These include the discovery of 700 ka-old artefacts and a new palaeo-species, Homo luzonensis in the Philippines, artefacts more than 100 ka old on Sulawesi, evidence of deep sea fishing off Timor 42,000 years ago, and rock art on Sulawesi at least 40,000 years old. Wallacea is where humans first learnt how to use and navigate across the sea ca. 50,000 years ago. When combined with recent evidence from Australia, Wallacea shows our capacity as a colonising and innovating species.
