The Creation of Southeast Asian Peoples and Cultures, 3500 BC to AD 500

The ancient migrations and subsequent interactions of agricultural populations played a fundamental role in the creations of the present-day peoples, cultures and languages of Southeast Asia. Documentation of these migrations is the main aim of this project, from a multidisciplinary data perspective focused on archaeology, palaeobotany and human biology, involving fieldwork in the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan. The project s significance will be to document the creation of cultural identity for 350 million of Australia s Southeast Asian neighbours, focusing on a time span between 3500 BC and AD 500. The main outcome will be the testing of a major hypothesis about associated dispersals of early farming populations and their languages.