Maritime networks as a vector for early farming/language dispersals : A comparative review
(2025) In Quaternary Environments and Humans 3(2).- Abstract
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... (More)
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.
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- author
- Hudson, Mark ; Uchiyama, Junzo LU ; Zancan, Claudia ; Šukelj, Katarina ; Bernabé, Renata Cabral ; Bjørn, Rasmus G. ; Bausch, Ilona R. and Fernández, Irene M.Muñoz
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-06
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Fishing, Language shift, Neolithic, Prehistoric seafaring, Trading networks
- in
- Quaternary Environments and Humans
- volume
- 3
- issue
- 2
- article number
- 100066
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105025415854
- ISSN
- 2950-2365
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.qeh.2025.100066
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 7fb57a88-8b4c-4d1d-8288-7cdaff0872b4
- date added to LUP
- 2026-02-13 14:19:41
- date last changed
- 2026-02-13 14:19:41
@article{7fb57a88-8b4c-4d1d-8288-7cdaff0872b4,
abstract = {{<p>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.</p>}},
author = {{Hudson, Mark and Uchiyama, Junzo and Zancan, Claudia and Šukelj, Katarina and Bernabé, Renata Cabral and Bjørn, Rasmus G. and Bausch, Ilona R. and Fernández, Irene M.Muñoz}},
issn = {{2950-2365}},
keywords = {{Fishing; Language shift; Neolithic; Prehistoric seafaring; Trading networks}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{2}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Quaternary Environments and Humans}},
title = {{Maritime networks as a vector for early farming/language dispersals : A comparative review}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.qeh.2025.100066}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.qeh.2025.100066}},
volume = {{3}},
year = {{2025}},
}