Upper Palaeolithic mariners? Evaluating experimental evidence for intentional early seafaring

Abstract

Brought to popular consciousness by Thor Heyerdahl in the 1940s, the role of seafaring in human migration has been intensely debated. Aiming to stimulate discussion around the ways in which experimental archaeology is used to support such grand narratives, the authors of this debate critically assess a recent claim for Upper Palaeolithic seafaring in the Japanese archipelago. Here, they argue that creating a boat for which there is no archaeological evidence with generic tools that were not widely available in the region risks a confounding circularity of logic.