Mariners of the Lower Paleolithic

Abstract

As the First Mariners project continues, it is attempted to establish the conditions and constraints under which the several sea crossings in Wallacea would have been accomplished. These are the world’s earliest examples of demonstrated maritime colonization. The experiments, using Lower Paleolithic technology, are described. Two attempts to cross Lombok Strait, between Bali and Lombok, are recounted. The first failed due to the strong transverse currents, the second succeeded only barely. Other experiments are conducted at the Strait of Gibraltar, where two rafts are built entirely by Lower Paleolithic means, one of cane and one of inflated animal skins.

Keywords: Lower Paleolithic technology, Bali, Lombok Strait, maritime experiments, bamboo, Homo erectus, Strait of Gibraltar, Morocco, cane, inflated animal skins, raft technology.