Maritime networks as a vector for early farming/language dispersals: A comparative review
Maritime networks have been proposed as a mechanism for early agricultural and, by extension, language dispersals in several coastal and island regions. In Island Southeast Asia, such networks have sometimes been discussed as an alternative to the farming/language dispersal hypothesis. However, the...
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| Format: | Article |
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Quaternary Environments and Humans |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950236525000106 |
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| author | Mark Hudson Junzo Uchiyama Claudia Zancan Katarina Šukelj Renata Cabral Bernabé Rasmus G. Bjørn Ilona R. Bausch Irene M. Muñoz Fernández |
| author_facet | Mark Hudson Junzo Uchiyama Claudia Zancan Katarina Šukelj Renata Cabral Bernabé Rasmus G. Bjørn Ilona R. Bausch Irene M. Muñoz Fernández |
| author_sort | Mark Hudson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Maritime networks have been proposed as a mechanism for early agricultural and, by extension, language dispersals in several coastal and island regions. In Island Southeast Asia, such networks have sometimes been discussed as an alternative to the farming/language dispersal hypothesis. However, the relationships between Neolithic maritime networks and maritime economies are poorly known. Here, we summarise published information for three regions where Neolithic maritime networks are thought to have been associated with language dispersals (whether hypothetical or directly attested): the Mediterranean, Island Southeast Asia and Japan. We conclude that while maritime networks played an important role in the Neolithic dispersals considered here, maritime trade and resources did not necessarily represent alternative or opposing economic strategies to agriculture. It was only from the Bronze Age that long-distance trade integrated maritime exchange and resources into a broader economic system. Our review illustrates the complex relations between subsistence, technology and mobility in prehistoric maritime networks and the paper concludes with suggestions for future research. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0a9dee325ce4456b8d4fd34b710cd986 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2950-2365 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Quaternary Environments and Humans |
| spelling | doaj-art-0a9dee325ce4456b8d4fd34b710cd9862025-08-20T02:37:01ZengElsevierQuaternary Environments and Humans2950-23652025-06-013210006610.1016/j.qeh.2025.100066Maritime networks as a vector for early farming/language dispersals: A comparative reviewMark Hudson0Junzo Uchiyama1Claudia Zancan2Katarina Šukelj3Renata Cabral Bernabé4Rasmus G. Bjørn5Ilona R. Bausch6Irene M. Muñoz Fernández7Language and the Anthropocene Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Kahlaische straße 10, Jena 07445, Germany; Institut d’Asie Orientale, ENS de Lyon, 15 parvis René Descartes, BP 7000, Lyon 69342, France; Corresponding author at: Language and the Anthropocene Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Kahlaische straße 10, Jena 07445, Germany.Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University, Helgonavägen 3, LUX - Hus A, Lund 223 62, Sweden; Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, 64 The Close, Norwich NR1 4DH, United Kingdom; Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources, Kanazawa University, Kakuma, Kanazawa 920-1192, JapanDepartment of Asian and North African Studies, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, San Sebastiano, Dorsoduro 1686, Venice 30123, ItalyDepartment of Asian Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Ivana Lučića 3, Zagreb 10000, Croatia; Department of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts, Ljubljana University, Aškerčeva 2, Ljubljana 1000, SloveniaDepartment of History, European University Institute, Villa Salviati, Via Bolognese 156, Florence 50139, ItalyLanguage and the Anthropocene Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Kahlaische straße 10, Jena 07445, Germany; Department for Nordic Studies and Linguistics, University of Copenhagen, Njalsgade 136 and Emil Holms Kanal 2, Copenhagen S DK-2300, DenmarkSainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, 64 The Close, Norwich NR1 4DH, United Kingdom; Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies, Institute of East Asian Art History, Heidelberg University, Voßstraße 2, Heidelberg 69115, Germany; Leiden Institute for Area Studies (LIAS), Leiden University, Witte Singel 27a, 2311 BX Leiden, NetherlandsÁrea de Estudios de Asia Oriental, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid 28040, SpainMaritime networks have been proposed as a mechanism for early agricultural and, by extension, language dispersals in several coastal and island regions. In Island Southeast Asia, such networks have sometimes been discussed as an alternative to the farming/language dispersal hypothesis. However, the relationships between Neolithic maritime networks and maritime economies are poorly known. Here, we summarise published information for three regions where Neolithic maritime networks are thought to have been associated with language dispersals (whether hypothetical or directly attested): the Mediterranean, Island Southeast Asia and Japan. We conclude that while maritime networks played an important role in the Neolithic dispersals considered here, maritime trade and resources did not necessarily represent alternative or opposing economic strategies to agriculture. It was only from the Bronze Age that long-distance trade integrated maritime exchange and resources into a broader economic system. Our review illustrates the complex relations between subsistence, technology and mobility in prehistoric maritime networks and the paper concludes with suggestions for future research.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950236525000106Trading networksFishingPrehistoric seafaringLanguage shiftNeolithic |
| spellingShingle | Mark Hudson Junzo Uchiyama Claudia Zancan Katarina Šukelj Renata Cabral Bernabé Rasmus G. Bjørn Ilona R. Bausch Irene M. Muñoz Fernández Maritime networks as a vector for early farming/language dispersals: A comparative review Quaternary Environments and Humans Trading networks Fishing Prehistoric seafaring Language shift Neolithic |
| title | Maritime networks as a vector for early farming/language dispersals: A comparative review |
| title_full | Maritime networks as a vector for early farming/language dispersals: A comparative review |
| title_fullStr | Maritime networks as a vector for early farming/language dispersals: A comparative review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Maritime networks as a vector for early farming/language dispersals: A comparative review |
| title_short | Maritime networks as a vector for early farming/language dispersals: A comparative review |
| title_sort | maritime networks as a vector for early farming language dispersals a comparative review |
| topic | Trading networks Fishing Prehistoric seafaring Language shift Neolithic |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950236525000106 |
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