In the Footsteps of Our Ancestors details through archaeological analysis, the dispersal of our species, Homo sapiens, providing a broad examination of evidence for early human migration into Asia and Oceania. Those migrations are crucial to our understanding of the global story of human evolution and cultural diversification. Chapters from an international team of experts provide the new geographical and temporal coverage. Controversies around timing, pathways, and competing models of migrations are explored in regions where archaeological data can be scarce. Genetic and archaeological data often seem inconsistent, but this book uses syntheses of archaeological evidence to give an updated view of our current knowledge of when and how these regions were first settled. These analyses help us understand the pattern of human movement and adaptation that led to the contemporary distribution of our species. This book provides the latest coverage of this important topic and contributes to thinking about the history of our species.

In the Footsteps of Our Ancestors is an essential text for researchers and students of archaeology, anthropology, and human evolution.

Takeshi Ueki is a Professor Emeritus at Kyoritsu Women’ s University System. He specializes in the Upper Palaeolithic Period of the Japanese Archipelago and is Chairperson of the Japan Association for Archaeoinformatics.

Glenn R. Summerhayes has worked on the archaeology of Papua New Guinea for the past 40 years. Since 2005 he has been Professor of Anthropology at Otago University.

Peter Hiscock researches evolutionary processes operating in human social and economic life.