First Islanders - by Peter Bellwood (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Incorporating research findings over the last twenty years, First Islanders examines the human prehistory of Island Southeast Asia. This fascinating story is explored from a broad swathe of multidisciplinary perspectives and pays close attention to migration in the period dating from 1.5 million years ago to the development of Indic kingdoms late in the first millennium CE.

From the Back Cover

"In First Islanders, Peter Bellwood -without doubt the leading authority on the archaeology and prehistory of Island Southeast Asia- offers up an engaging synthesis of the grand sweep of human history in this island world, from the arrival of early hominins one million years ago, through the development of agriculture and the Austronesian expansion, up to the early Metal Age. Bellwood brings the fascinating prehistory of this vast region to life as no other archaeologist can. First Islanders belongs on the bookshelf of every scholar of world prehistory."

Patrick V. Kirch
University of California Berkeley

In First Islanders, renowned scholar Peter Bellwood incorporates key research findings from the past 20 years to examine the human prehistory of Island Southeast Asia (Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, East Malaysia). This fascinating story is explored from a broad swathe of multidisciplinary perspectives, with special reference to the human migrations that have occurred within the archipelago since the arrival of Homo erectus in Java more than 1 million years ago. The text pays particular attention to several major episodes of migration, including those of ancient hominins (Homo erectus and Homo floresiensis), the subsequent arrival of Homo sapiens over 50,000 years ago, and the eventual spread of Austronesian-speaking agricultural populations from southern China through Taiwan between 5000 and 3000 years ago.

Drawing on research from archaeology, genetics, biological anthropology, and linguistics, Bellwood's study and exploration of Island Southeast Asia provides illuminating insights into how humans in the deep past dealt with both terrestrial and maritime migration throughout the period dating from 1.5 million years ago to the development of the Indic kingdoms during the first millennium CE.

Alongside Bellwood's experienced and respected voice, 12 concise and enlightening contributions by leading scholars are introduced throughout to complement and further enrich this important work for scholars, students, and the interested reader.

First Islanders builds on Bellwood's previous publication Prehistory of the Indo-Malaysian Archipelago (3rd edition, 2007).

Review Quotes

"This is a must-read book for anyone interested in Island Southeast Asian archaeology and early human history. It truly comes from Bellwood's mastery of a large amount of literature, and his background as a field-grounded scholar."
--Victor Paz Archaeological Studies Program, University of the Philippines, Republic of the Philippines, Antiquity, Volume 92, Issue 366, December 2018

About the Author

Peter Bellwood is an Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University, which he joined in 1973, retiring in 2013. He has undertaken archaeological research in Polynesia and Island Southeast Asia and is currently involved in projects in Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines. His most recent books include The Global Prehistory of Human Migration (edited, Wiley Blackwell, 2015), First Migrants (Wiley Blackwell, 2013), Prehistory of the Indo-Malaysian Archipelago (3rd edition, 2007), First Farmers (Wiley Blackwell, 2005), and Southeast Asia: From Prehistory to History (co-edited, 2005). Peter Bellwood is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy.